The Whole Worlds A Stage
by Evelyn Mavelle
Summary: Zack grew up with a mob, after a cop shot his parents. Rufus Shinra took him under his wing, and eventually, Zack developed his own organization, but a young Cloud comes into the organization and makes things interesting. CLACK
1. PrologueDancing With Tears in my Eyes

**Yes, I am alive! And back with a vengeance! Dont worry, my other stories arent going to be neglected! I want to start working on them as soon as possible! Hope you enjoy this story! I had the other three chapters up, but they need to be revised. Expect them soon! The more the reviews, the faster you'll get your updates! ))  
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_**Prologue**_

"If you wanna live, Zack, you'll kill this man." Rufus Shinra said. A fourteen-year-old Zack stared in disbelief, eyes falling on the picture of an officer circled in red, surrounded by a few other cops. "If you refuse to do this, Zachary Fair, he's going to put me in jail, for a very long time. No one else is going to want to want to take in a teenager whose parents abandoned him. You'll have nothing."

"But...!" Zack started, his mako blue eyes glancing between the photo in his hands, and the man he had been referring to as his father for three years now. After a few seconds of silence, he caved and nodded, reaching for the gun on the table in front of him. Another short moment of silence passed, and Zack turned to leave, his eyes narrowed. Nothing, or no one, was going to take away the little bit of 'family' he had.

It was an hour walk, but Zack didn't mind. It was relaxing when it started to rain. It helped him drown out his thoughts. When he reached the house, he snuck around back to find an unlocked window. He was unaware that the man inside had seen him, was unaware there was another in the house. With luck, he found a window, and climbed through as quietly as he could, sneaking through the house. Rounding the corner, he found himself face to face with a gun, his eyes slowly traveled up to meet the man's. "Turn around and leave, and I'll forget you even snuck in through the window." He warned, and Zack lifted his hands, tilting his head a little.

"I can't do that. I have orders." he replied. In one swift movement, he grabbed the wrist holding the gun and pushed it to the side, kicking the man in the chest. "I won't let you take away my family." he added as the officer stumbled backwards a bit, dropping the gun subconsciously. Zack drew his own gun and aimed it, point black, at the man's forehead, his eyes a dull color, void of any human life.

"Don't do it." the cop warned, his eyes locked with Zack's.

"You shouldn't have been meddling with his affairs. Have fun in Hell." Zack said, pulling the trigger, unaware of the child that was hiding in the closet behind him, down the hall. He was unaware that the child was peeking out through a crack in the door. Unaware the child even saw his face as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed out to a member of Shinra's mob. "The job's done. Rufus told me to call you to help me get rid of the body. Hurry it up, I don't want to be here if the cops show up." He said, hanging up without waiting on a response. The child quickly hid back in the closet as Zack turned and started past the closet, to make sure there was no one else in the house. He felt sick to his stomach, yet he felt a sense of accomplishment.

It was a cop that had shot his parents when he was just a child himself. It was a cop that was about to take away the closest thing to a father in a long time. It was time he had struck back anyway. Once he was sure there was no one there, he returned to the body and started to clean up what blood he could, just as a couple 'buddies' pulled into the drive and entered through the front door, after Zack had unlocked it for them.

**A/N: Please Review! Constructive Criticism is welcome! And dont forget those lovely reviews! They are excellent motivators! **


	2. 1 You're Such a Comfortable Liar

_**You're A Comfortable Liar**_

A nineteen-year-old, blue eyed blond found himself walking along side Zack. Cloud glanced up at him after a few minutes of silence. "What are we doing again?" he asked, blinking a couple of times. Zack glanced to him with a small, playful smile, pointing forward.

"We're watching someone, of course." he replied. A few feet in front of them was a brunet male. Cloud made a face, and nodded.

"Sounds boring." he said with a shrug, tilting his head a bit, yelping when he felt arms wrap around him.

"Oh, Cloud! You're just too adorable for your own good!" Zack exclaimed, causing Cloud to flail and start squirming.

"Ah! Get off me! We're in public, would you stop acting like a child?" he exclaimed, managing to get free. Once he recovered, he shot Zack a glare, who just grinned, ruffling his hair.

"Relax. We're aloud to have fun every now and then. We can't be serious all the time." Zack said, turning his attention back ahead, cussing under his breath. "Damn, lost 'im. Alright, let's get back and tell Pops what we found out." he then said, and turned direction. Cloud nodded and started to follow him, glancing towards the sky. The sun was beginning to set, and he found the view to be calming, relaxing, and he wished he was near an ocean, or a lake. He didn't realize he had zoned out until he ran into something. Blinking, he looked up to see he had ran straight into Zack's chest.

"Sorry. I spaced..." he muttered, and Zack grinned again.

"I know. I've been talking to you for the past ten minutes, and you haven't acknowledged anything I said." he replied, ruffling his hair for the millionth time that week. And it was only Wednesday.

To Cloud, Zack was a puzzle. There was a serious side to him he held only when he worked. He never let a target get away and live to tell about it. Then he had a conservative side to him when he was alone, or thought he was alone. This side of him was more of a space cadet. He would zone out, and just stare into space. And then, he had his playful side. This side of him was hyper active, and any chance he got, he annoyed the others they worked with, managed to pull a prank or two on Rufus, before he got in trouble. Not to mention, Cloud was his main focus when he was in one of his happy-go-lucky moods. He was rather affectionate. Cloud had figured it was just to annoy him at first, since he was new, but recently, he was thinking that the male was serious with the affection he gave him.

"I can't help it. I was looking at the sun set." Cloud defended, and watched as Zack's eyes traveled to the sky.

"I hate the sun." This threw Cloud off. For the time he knew Zack, he seemed to not hate anything but cops. And he still didn't know why that was. He looked to the older male with curious eyes, frowning when he saw the lifeless look in his eyes.

"Why?" He had to ask. There was no response for a few minutes, and Cloud went to wave his hand in front of Zack's face, tilting his head a little. "Zack?"

"The sun is a symbol of happiness. Families come out together, to play together, when the sun is out. When it rains, or it looks like it's going to storm, everyone stays inside, out of fear of getting ill, or hit by lightening, or worse. It's depressing. Rain's associated with tears, with emotional pain over a loss of a friend, or family member. It's...Relaxing."

"You're scaring me." Cloud said, drawing Zack back to reality. He just smiled at Cloud and grabbed Cloud's wrist, starting to walk again.

"C'mon. We're running late." he then said, which only caused Cloud more confusion. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he started to fall in step with Zack, getting his arm back from the male, watching him carefully through the corner of his eyes.

It was a little bit before they reached a bar in the worst part of town. They made their way down the alley, and snuck in through the back door. Once inside, if you were to walk straight, you'd be entering the bar, but to the left was a case of stairs, which led to the basement, where Rufus could usually be found until all hours of the night. Making their way down, Zack grinned and started to bounce, which made Cloud a bit nervous. He always found a way to annoy Rufus, and Cloud hated the cold tone used on Zack. It crept them both out. "Oh, Shinra!" He called down when they were closer to the bottom in a sing-song voice. Rufus looked up from the glass of whiskey in his hand, raising a brow. Sitting to the man's left was a young looking woman whom he had an arm around, and was laying half on his chest. "Oh, did we come at a bad time?"

"Yes. Now hurry up." Rufus replied, watching Zack carefully, who glanced to the young woman with a polite smile.

"Miss, would you be a doll and go get a glass of whiskey for me and my friend here?" he asked.

"I'll pass. I don't drink, Zack." Cloud cut in, frowning. The woman made a face, placed a quick kiss on Rufus' cheek, then got up and excused herself. Zack waited until she was gone before dropping onto the couch next to Rufus with a sly grin.

"What's her name?"

"Zack, tell me what you know, and get lost."

"Is she old enough to get me alcohol?"

"Zack..." Zack rolled his eyes.

"Kill joy. Squall's a frequenter at that little tea shop just down the street from the high school. He goes there on his lunch from work. He met up with a lady friend a couple of times this week, but there was no indication they were married, or anything. He's a really boring guy." he added, looking up when the woman came back with a glass of whiskey, and a fresh bottle of soda from one of the vending machines Rufus kept, just for the ones who wouldn't drink. Taking the glass, he took a sip and made a face. "Bitter."

"Get out, Zack." Zack rolled his eyes, downed the drink, and sat the glass on the table, getting up and walking for the door, before glancing over his shoulder.

"One more thing. This lady friend of his. She's a cop. They've been talking about ways to infiltrate, talking about sending an FBI agent undercover. If I find a rat...?"

"Don't leave anything behind." Rufus gave the teen permission to take out any spies. Zack nodded and waved, and Cloud followed, fighting back the nausea he felt. He couldn't help it sometimes. Zack caught how pale Cloud had become, and had offered him a ride on his bike, promising he'd bring Cloud back to pick up his bike in the morning. Cloud denied the offer, but frowned when he noticed Zack sway a little bit.

"Zack, you shouldn't be drinking and driving. You're going to kill someone."

"I'm fine, Cloud. Don't worry!" he chirped with a wave and smile. Cloud rolled his eyes and snatched Zack's keys from him when he pulled them from his pocket.

"C'mon. I'll drive you home, okay?" Zack made a face, then shook his head.

"Nah. I'll walk then, and get my keys from ya tomorrow, but...I need my house key." He said, pointing to the key ring. Cloud eyed him a moment and pocketed the keys.

"You can stay at my place tonight then." Zack nodded slowly and followed Cloud to his motorcycle, climbing on the back and resting his head on Cloud's shoulder before he sped away.

Zack couldn't remember the last time he was this close to someone, and actually felt the warmth radiating from their body, warming his naturally cold flesh. Zack always blamed his past for being naturally cold blooded, and for getting cold so easily. Even if he hid it well, Zack felt like he himself was just an ice box. At the thought, he closed his eyes and relaxed, enjoying the ride.

It was only thirty minutes later, Cloud pulled up to his small, one bedroom apartment, to find Zack had fallen asleep. His heart jolted with fear from the possibilities of what could have happened, but he was relieved Zack hadn't fallen off. "Zack, come on. Wake up. We're here." he said, nudging him. This woke him, and he sat up with a gasp.

"Shit. Sorry, wasn't aware I fell asleep." he muttered, looking around some. "Wow, you weren't lying when you said your apartment was a dump." he added, climbing off. Cloud smacked him as he got off and started for his apartment.

"Do you wanna sleep outside tonight?" he asked, and Zack smiled a little, following him.

Inside, Zack automatically collapsed onto the couch in a sitting position, closing his eyes while Cloud went to the kitchen to cook a quick, light dinner for them. When he poked his head back in, he found Zack fast asleep in the same position he was moments before. Sitting up. He looked troubled, and it made Cloud uneasy. He really wasn't use to those hidden sides of Zack, and he honestly didn't care to see them. It scared him, made him wonder what would cause someone who was able to hide behind a smile all day to be so troubled in his sleep, or when he was alone.

_Duh, Cloud! He's an assassin for a mob that you're working for now. Of course he'd be troubled in his sleep. His victims are haunting him...Maybe I should get out while I still..._ Zack's scream cut off Cloud's thoughts, and he jumped, running over to see Zack sitting up with wide eyes and a pale face. His skin was covered in a light, cold sweat. _Shit, just a few minutes of sleep has him like this, I'm afraid to know what a few hours of sleep will do to him._ He thought as he reached up and cupped Zack's face in his hands. "Zack! Zack, look at me. Breathe. Deep breaths. Come on, it's okay. It's me, Cloud. I'm right here. You're in my apartment. Just breathe." His words worked, but slowly, as Zack began to calm down. After a couple minutes, his breathing was normal, but his hand moved to his forehead as he closed his eyes.

"Light headed. I'm gonna pass on dinner. Thanks, though, Cloud." he murmured, slowly laying on his side. Cloud swallowed, hard, watching as Zack did this, before frowning.

"Zack, you haven't eaten a thing all day, and you drank some whiskey not too long ago. You need to eat something, or you're going to get really sick in the morning." he scolded, and Zack chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Cloud's hair again.

"I'll be alright, kiddo. Just eat without me. I'll eat when I wake up."

"I don't want you to go to sleep yet." Cloud whispered. It was almost a whimper. He hated seeing Zack so vulnerable. It was unnerving to see a man that put himself out there to be so strong in all aspects just collapse into a whirl pool of nightmares the second he tried to relax. "Zack? Hey, Zack, are you still...?" A light snore answered his question, and he sighed, shaking his head. _Please, no more nightmares. I have my own to deal with tonight._ He thought, getting up and heading to the kitchen to clean his mess and put away the dinner he wasn't eating, after making a plate for Zack as well. A few bites later, he found he was unable to eat, so he put the trash can near Zack, with a cloth and a bowl of water before heading to his own room to rest. It was getting late, and he had no idea where the time had gone. _Maybe tomorrow will be better..._

**T.B.C.**


	3. 2: Got a Date with the Devil

_**Got A Date With the Devil**_

When Cloud woke up the next morning, he found Zack was gone, as were Zack's keys, but a note was left for him on the kitchen counter, with the faint smell of a breakfast of eggs and bacon. And the dishwasher was just going off. He made a face and picked up the note, scanning it over once.

_Cloud,_

_ Sorry I bailed on ya early. I had a few things I needed to do today. I made breakfast,_

_ on a lighter note. There's some eggs and bacon in the microwave for ya. I cleaned my_

_ mess, and everything, so I'll see ya later tonight. Rufus has a job for us._

_ Later!_

On it was a little smiley face next to the ending of the letter. He rolled his eyes and trashed it, before eying the breakfast Zack had made. He decided he wasn't all that hungry, and put it in the fridge for a later time. With that out of the way, he walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower, playing with the water for a moment. "I have a feeling it's going to be another long day..." he muttered to himself, glancing towards the mirror. Frowning, he noticed he had dark rings under his eyes from the lack of sleep he himself was getting. "I have got to quit staying up like I do. I need help, or something." he added quietly, before stripping down and climbing under the water.

Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back, letting the water run down his face and body, warming him up and relaxing his sore muscles from the previous day. He was use to walking a lot, but not by that much. They had started early in the morning, and were out late. He wondered how Zack and the others were able to do such things at the young ages they joined. It would forever be a mystery to him. After a long moment, he finally pulled himself from his relaxed state and washed up, then climbed out, wrapping a towel around his waist and draping one over his head, walking to his room to find a fresh set of clothes for the day.

When he entered his room, he turned on the his radio, loud, to block out the arguing neighbors next door. It was a wonder they were still allowed to live in the apartment. _'It's Not Me It's You' _was playing on the CD player. Walking to the closet, he pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans, and an extra baggy, white jersey with black, short sleeves with gold rings on the end. After he was dressed, he grabbed his keys and started for the door, pausing when he reached it and glancing back to see that the trash can had also been put back, and the front room was a bit cleaner than it was before he had gone to bed. With a shrug, he headed out, locking the door behind himself.

Hours passed by, and Zack found himself sitting at the diner with another man from the group he followed. He was zoned out, while the man was watching him a bit carefully. He was a somewhat old friend of Zack's. Leaning forward, he waved a hand in front of his face. "Yo. Hey, you with me, man?" Reno asked, frowning when he got a delayed response.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Sorry, man. I zoned out there for a minute." he replied and Reno shook his head.

"Yeah, I kinda figured when you didn't respond to me for a few minutes." he muttered, looking across the street. "You should really go home and get some sleep. I can tell you didn't sleep too well last night, if you even slept at all."

"And how do you know if I've slept or not?" Zack defended, puffing out his cheeks, and Reno reached over, flicking him in the forehead.

"You're spacey. And your eyes are red...Nightmares again?" Zack scoffed and looked away, before sitting up.

"He's here." Reno blinked and looked behind himself subtly, wishing Zack would just quit avoiding talking about his nightmares. It bothered him to know his old friend was suffering, and kept it all to himself, pretending to be fine, when in reality, everyone who was close enough to Zack could see it in his eyes, he was slowly killing himself emotionally. Reno believed that Zack was currently working on trying to stop himself from feeling anything. He remembered during a conversation a couple years back, Zack had told him that he wished he couldn't feel human emotions. It was such a rush that he loved, killing, but when all was said and done, Zack felt horrible. He admitted that their faces haunted him in his dreams.

The fact that Zack was taking someone from their family killed him inside, but he did it to keep his own family together. Zack was just one of those people. Even though he didn't know a few of the guys in this one mob of a family, when he had learned that they were dead, he made it his personal mission to seek revenge. He met everyone in this large group, knew them all by names and faces, but a good deal he didn't know personally. He just knew that family took up for family, and always had their backs. He knew that in this family, if someone was killed, revenge was sought out. And Zack loved to carry out this mission, ever since the night he took out that one cop.

A contradiction, but he enjoyed it, despite all those nightmares that plagued him at night.

Zack stood, like he was ready to go somewhere, and collapsed. Reno barely caught him in time, before he could hit his head on the table, which was made of glass. "Shit, man! Hey! Alright, I'm taking you home. You need to rest." he said, helping Zack to his feet, who weakly protested quietly, head down in embarrassment for letting himself fall like that. He hadn't let himself get this bad in so long, he almost forgot what it was like to be weak. He let Reno carry him to his car, but continuously protested going home.

Zack lived alone. He had earned his own, working for Rufus Shinra, and was so persistent on getting out on his own, claiming he felt he had burdened the man enough. But as of late, Zack was wishing he hadn't moved out. He felt he needed someone to be around him at all times. "I don't wanna go home, Reno." Zack tried protesting again.

"Well, ya ain't staying out like this. Do you wanna go to someone elses house?" Zack nodded lightly, and muttered Shinra's name. Reno shrugged, but started to take him to the desired place. "Man, Zack. You need to take a break from all of this, and the boss'll tell ya the same thing. You're gonna get yourself caught, or killed, or something." he then scolded. Zack snorted at this and rested his head back against the head rest of the seat, looking to him through the corner of his eyes.

"You worry way too much, Reno." he accused, letting his eyes slide closed when Reno started to look at him.

"I worry, because you get yourself into all kinds of trouble without thinking. I know you have your own group now, but you're still apart of Rufus' too. He still considers you his son, and still wants you to take over for him in the event something ever happens to him. Man, if you die, we'll all be lost without you." Zack snorted before laughing at this as he sat up and looked at Reno with a skeptical look.

"Lost? Without me? All of you? Reno, listen to yourself. When Rufus found me, I was eleven. I had been on the streets for a year, on my own. I was an orphan. Two years later was my first kill." He paused, frowning. "That still haunts me. Something was off that night, in that man's house. It felt like someone had been watching me." It was a bit off topic, but Reno listened anyway. Zack never talked about these things. It was his problem to deal with, so he didn't feel the need to drag anyone else down into a depressed state with him. "He glanced behind me, but I don't remember seeing anything unusual. I keep racking my brain for an explanation, but I can't think of one! Reno, what if he had a child and the kid was hiding somewhere in the house? What if a kid watched me kill his father?" He went pale, and Reno pulled over, thankful he had reached Shinra's mansion.

"If someone had seen you shoot that detective, then don't you think you would have been caught by the police by now? You're just being paranoid, Zack. You need to lighten up. I'm sure everyone you work with will agree that you need to rest." Zack seemed to ignore Reno and looked up to the mansion, frowning.

"He's not here. It's just the maids."

"Duh. He's never here in the day."

"Take me to the Crescent Manor. I can't be alone with people that are going to cater to everything I want. It's annoying."

"You really are a hands-on kinda man, aren't you?" Reno laughed, which caused Zack to laugh. It was almost bitter though.

_I have to be a hands-on kinda man, Reno. You don't know the half of it._ He thought to himself, looking out the window as Reno pulled off.

"Hey Zack."

"Hm?"

"Promise me something. When you get to Seph's place, promise you'll lay down and sleep, huh? Just take the entire day to relax, and catch up on some rest."

"No can do, buddy. I have to meet with Cloud here in a few hours. Rufus has something for us."

"Zack!"

"I said no, dammit! Just stop the damn car and let me out!" Zack snapped, reaching for the door handle. Reno locked the doors, and sped up, glaring at Zack now, glad they were the only ones on that stretch of road at the moment. "Reno. I'm war..."

"Will you stop with this 'tough guy' bull shit? Just because you surpassed a good deal of Shinra's top men does not, by no means, mean you're invincible! Damn, Zack! You have these damn nightmares that keep you from sleeping at night, then you get up too damn early, and just start your fucking day like you went to sleep at fucking five in the damn evening the night before! And on top of that, you're risking getting shot, maybe even killed, because you're not at the top of your damn game!"

Zack fell quiet, and lowered his gaze. Reno thought that maybe Zack was giving up, and was going to admit to his weakness. He let out a heavy sigh and turned to look ahead. He slammed on the breaks when he heard the lock click on Zack's side. "I'll walk from here." Zack muttered, and Reno stared in disbelief as Zack climbed out and started to walk off. He parked on the side, threw the car in park, turned it off and climbed out, chasing after him. The second he was in arms reach, he found himself laying on his back with Zack standing over him, fist clenched, and a throbbing cheek. "I told you, I was fine! Just back off, Reno, or you'll be the next person I put in the ground!" he snapped, his eyes holding an icy look in them. Reno stared in shock, mouth slightly opened. He was almost afraid to move. He never thought that Zack would even think of turning on someone he worked with, considered family. He just nodded and Zack turned, walking off.

A few hours passed, and Zack found himself sitting with Cloud at the park. It was pitch black as rain clouds had settled in. Thunder rolled in the sky, and Cloud flinched, glancing to Zack, who had been tense all day since they met up. He was starting to relax. "I'm gonna start heading home before it starts pouring..." Cloud said, watching Zack a moment for a response. None. "Zack?"

"Hm? Oh..." He pulled himself from looking at the clouds to look at Cloud. "Sorry, what?"

"I'm heading home now."

"Mm. You don't like storms?" Zack asked, turning his eyes back to the sky, and Cloud shook his head.

"Not really. It stormed the night I lost someone very important to me."

"That's why I love it so much." Cloud blinked as Zack looked to him with a smile. "It reminds me." He stood and stretched, draping an arm around Cloud's shoulders, leaning down a bit. "Have you ever killed anyone, Cloud?"

"Wha? Why is that important at a time like this? We weren't even..." he let his words trail, frowning at the look Zack gave him. "What?"

"You haven't killed. Ever. Here." He put his gun in Cloud's hands, and turned them back towards the woods, standing behind Cloud as he showed him how to hold the gun. Cloud knew, and they aimed together. Cloud was reluctant to put his finger on the trigger, but found it was hard not to when Zack was guiding him. "Don't you know that...You have to kill to survive? It's natural, Cloud, to want to kill to protect what is yours, what you have left. You'll do anything to keep someone from taking everything away from you." His voice was soft, distant almost. Cloud jumped when he heard a loud boom, and looked down to see that Zack had guided him into pulling the trigger. "Even if you have to kill a cop." Cloud's eyes traveled up, and he felt sick to his stomach when he saw a person a few yards away, their hand over their chest, near their heart. "You can't be afraid, Cloud. You have to fire the kill-shot." Zack explained, pulling the trigger with the gun in Cloud's hand still, and the man fell.

Cloud was still trying to wrap his mind around what had happened while his stomach did flops. Zack left the gun in Cloud's hand and pulled away from him, walking towards the body. "Zack..." Cloud whispered, swallowing hard. "Zack!" He whispered a little louder, grabbing his arm. "I want to go home. Please, just take me home now." Zack turned to him with a blank stare.

"You don't want out, do you, Cloud?" he asked, reaching up, cupping his cheek with his hand. Cloud felt his heart skip a beat in his chest as Zack started to lean down once more, his lips brushing against the shell of Cloud's ear. "There's only one way out, Cloud." He felt the barrel of the gun at his chest and started to panic.

"Zack, no! No, I don't...It's not that, Zack..." He started, his heart pounding so hard in his chest, he thought it was going to jump out.

"Good. I really like being around you. I'd hate to have to hurt you." He slowly pulled away, and Cloud could have sworn he felt Zack place a very small, quick peck on his cheek, but couldn't tell.

"Can I go home now?" he asked, and Zack saw the tears brimming in his eyes, from fear no doubt. He just nodded and put the gun up, leading Cloud away from the body.

Cloud had left his bike at his place, since Zack was so insistent on sharing his own, so he found himself clinging to Zack as he sped down the streets, trying to beat the storm that was rolling in. And he failed, by five minutes. By the time Cloud got back to his house, they were soaked. He could tell Zack was wanting to be invited back in, but wasn't going to go unless he was, but he wanted the night to himself. Zack just smiled and waved him off, at least waiting until Cloud was inside, before he started to speed off towards his own place.

Cloud stood at his window when he got inside and watched as Zack sped away, watching as he swerved a little to avoid something as he left the lot. He slowly made his way to the bathroom, and the second he knelt in front of the toilet, the contents of his stomach were emptied. _I...Killed someone..._

**T.B.C.**


	4. 4: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

_**Life Styles of the Rich and Famous**_

Cloud had finally gotten his stomach to stop turning once he had laid down for a little bit. Glancing to the clock, he frowned, but rolled over and grabbed his cell phone off the nightstand, dialing out. After a few rings, he started to hang up, but smiled a little when a voice came over the other end. "Cloud? It's been a few days." A woman's voice spoke, and she sounded tired.

"Sorry, I've been a little busy." he muttered, closing his eyes. The second he did, he made a soft noise, his stomach flipping again at the memory from only a few hours before. "It's been...Hectic a little."

"You better be careful, Cloud!" Yuffie exclaimed, causing him to flinch at the sound of her voice and sit up with a small laugh. "What're you laughing about? You could really get hurt, Cloud." she whispered, and Cloud let out a soft sigh, leaning against his headboard.

"It's okay, Yuffie. I'm fine. It's just...The guy I've been stuck following around..." he trailed, shaking his head. "He's something else. So, how's my beautiful wife and child holding up?" he then asked, smiling more when he heard a small noise of content on the other side.

"We're doing just fine. The baby's been kicking a little more lately. She misses her daddy." she replied, her hand automatically resting on her tummy. Cloud wished he could see them. "Cloud, when are you coming home? Everyone's really worried about you." she added quietly, and Cloud sighed, frowning.

"We've been over this, Yuffie. I have something I really need to do before I can rest easy. The nightmares still haunt me." he replied, shifting. He found he couldn't sit still, and got out of bed, walking to the window just in time to see lightening flash across the sky. "It's storming...I hate it."

"Close your eyes and take deep breaths, Cloud. Count to ten, and let your body just relax."

Biting his lower lip, he ducked his head to stare at the floor below. "I have a call waiting... It's important, I'll call you later...Bye." Before he could get a response, he hung up the phone. Sitting it back on the nightstand, he laid back down and closed his eyes, pulling the covers over his head to block out the lightning the best the thin blanket could. It took a while, but he managed to fall asleep.

It was going on three thirty in the morning when he heard his cell phone going off. Groaning, he rolled over and answered it without checking the ID. "Whoever the hell is calling me this early in the morning better have a damn good reason, or I'm gonna rip out your small intestines."

"Whoa! Evil chocobo!" Zack's voice sounded, and Cloud groaned again.

"Dammit, Zack. Do you have any idea what time it is...Did you just call me a chocobo?"

"Um...Hey, about earlier, at the park..."

"Zack, whatever you're getting at, it can wait until tomorrow. I need to get some sleep. I'm still feeling nauseous."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. We need to get together later tonight. We're going to get some target practice in for you." Cloud sat there quietly for a minute. "Cloud?"

"I'm going to chop you into tiny pieces and shove you in my wall the next time I see you. Good _night_ Zack!" he growled, hanging up the phone, glaring at it. A short moment later, he jumped when it went off again with a text this time. Growling, he flipped it open and looked at the text; _Wark, why'd you hang up on me, Chocobo? _DDDD:

He turned the volume off and flipped it closed, throwing it in his nightstand drawer, before slamming it closed. "Why the hell is he so damn persistent? It's annoying." he muttered, laying back down, but found he couldn't back to sleep. An hour of tossing around, he rolled over, grabbing his phone and dialed Zack's number.

"Hey! I knew you couldn't..."

"I hate you." Cloud cut him off. "I can't sleep because you had to go and wake me up with that stupid phone call, so you're not sleeping either. If you fall asleep on the phone with me, I'll take my target practice to your house."

"Now that's what I wanted to hear! Come on over, Ba...Cloud."

Cloud blinked. "What...were you going to call me?" he asked slowly, and there was a moment of silence on the other end.

"I was gonna say, bring some beer, but you're under age, never mind. Just, hurry up! See ya soon, Chocobo!" he chirped, hanging up. Cloud growled and flung his phone in frustration, but got out of bed anyway and got dressed. He paced his room for a few minutes, debating on whether he wanted to go to Zack's or not. He glanced to his phone, then picked it up and pocketed it, walking for the front door.

"Why am I doing this?" he questioned, hoping on his bike and speeding off.

**T.B.C**

**A/N: If you'd like us to continue then please review! =] This is just something me and my friend came up with and would appreciate some feedback! Thanks! **

** - Evelyn  
**


	5. 5: The Threat is Real

Thanks for all the nice reviews! =] I'm glad you guys like the story so far! Here's chapter five!)

_**The Threat is Real**_

Cloud reached Zack's in thirty minutes tops, and was greeted by said male standing on the porch. Climbing off the bike, he started for the porch as Zack smiled and pushed the door open for him when he got to the top. "Why am I here?"

"Because you offered to come over." Zack replied, and Cloud shook his head, walking into the house, his eyes going wide in awe. He knew Zack lived in a big place, and the outside he'd seen before, but he had never expected him to be more into the old styled Victorian homes on the inside. "Did you bring the alcohol?" Humor filled his violent irises as he continued to walk away. He trusted Cloud to follow.

"Hm?" Cloud turned to Zack, then smacked an unsuspecting Zack over fhe head as he walked further into the house. "I'm too young to buy, idiot." he muttered, and Zack winced, following after him. It surprised him at how he and Zack had become comfortable with one another. His trust was something he wanted. It was also a necessity.

"You don't have to abuse me." Zack whined, rubbing his his head as if it hurt, and Cloud glanced to him with a raised brow.

"Seriously, why'd you call me this late? I was almost asleep, and now its impossible."

"I felt bad. You looked really sick at the park earlier, so I wanted to apologize. I forgot how it felt on your first kill." Cloud flinched at the reminder, and his stomach flipped.

"Why'd you make me pull the trigger anyway?" Zack frowned at this and folded his arms. When Cloud turned, he jumped, taking a step back, since Zack was so close. His eyes met Zack's and he felt uncomfortable. "Zack...?"

"Why are you questioning me? I told you, you have to kill to survive. You can't trust cops, Cloud." He walked past him now, heading for the kitchen, and Cloud followed.

"And why's that? They keep the peace, don't they?"

"They kill because they have a badge, and can legally get away with it." Zack's voice held an annoyed tone to it as he pulled a bottle of whiskey from the fridge, eying it a moment, before putting it back and leaning against the fridge. "You can't trust a cop worth shit. Keep that in mind, Cloud." He nodded, but inside, he was dying to argue a little more over it. That was, until Zack smiled and walked over to him, ruffling his hair. "You'll learn soon enough. It's okay, for now, I guess. C'mon, let's go watch a movie or something, since you bothered to come all the way out here. It'd be messed up if I made you leave." he said, and Cloud watched him walk into the front room, jumping when he heard a soft, female voice.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know young Master Fair had company. It's a change." she said with a soft smile. She wore a uniform that reminded Cloud of a maid. She bowed her head and excused herself to follow after Zack, and Cloud turned to get something to drink before he slowly followed into the front room, where he saw the maid a bit flustered over something, almost annoyed, and Zack waved a dismissive hand.

"Just, go home for the night, okay?" the older male said, and the woman just stared in disbelief, before shaking her head and looking to Cloud almost sympathetically. As she passed, Cloud noticed a couple of bruises, but said nothing, taking mental note to it as he took a seat in the chair across from the couch. "I won't bite, ya know."

"Hn. I'm still mad at you for waking me up." Cloud said, closing his eyes, and Zack just smiled, shaking his head, before turning on a movie and relaxing. It was a bit of a relief to have someone there with him. His imagination was starting to act up on him.

Half through the movie, Zack's phone went off, and he quickly answered it. Cloud glanced to him when he heard him speak, having not heard the phone. "Yo, Fair speaking." There was a short moment of silence and the look on Zack's face changed from a relaxed look to a cautious one. "Yeah, I'm free. I'll be there in about forty five minutes." he said, hanging up, before looking to Cloud, standing.

"What's going on?" He asked, tilting his head a bit as Zack walked over to him.

"I need you to come somewhere with me." he replied, walking past him and grabbing his keys. Cloud blinked, and started to follow. "A meeting with someone."

"Are you sure you want me there?" Cloud asked, tilting his head a bit.

"Yes, you need to get use to these things." he replied, grabbing Cloud's wrist and pulling him along.

Forty five minutes later, they reached the bar, and were escorted to the back, where Vincent and Tifa were sitting, having a drink. There were a couple more sitting on the table, and Zack took one, taking a seat. Cloud reluctantly sat down with him, glancing between them. "How's it goin'?" Zack asked.

"Decently, I suppose." Vincent replied, glancing to Cloud, who looked away. "You brought a new recruit with you? You know there are rats running around."

"I trust this one." Zack cut him off, motioning to Cloud as he took a sip of the whiskey. Vincent just shrugged and leaned forward, dropping a file on the table. Zack eyed him a moment, before leaning forward to take the file. Cloud caught on to how closely Vincent was watching Zack, and how relaxed Zack had let himself become as he flipped open the file. "Are these our shipment reports?" His tone took on an annoyed one, and he looked up, glaring at Vincent. "What the fuck? I thought we had an understanding that I was to have this tonight. What's the hold up?" he asked, his eyes locking with the ravenette's. Vincent shrugged.

"We had a problem getting our hands on it. You know, Zack, you should know better than to bring a rookie with you to important meetings like this."

"What...Do you mean?" Zack asked, watching him. Cloud's heart dropped, and the next five seconds felt like three hours to Cloud as Zack kicked the table at Vincent and tipped the couch back, so they both fell back, the couch barely enough cover as Zack drew his gun and bullets began to fly. Screams filled the air and bodies dropped like rag dolls unto the blood stained floor. Innocent people weren't spared, those who didn't get shot were smart enough to dive behind the counter or a table.

"_You have to kill to survive..."_

Zack's words played over in his head when he saw blood dripping down Zack's arm, and he was quick to draw his own gun and start firing off a few rounds. Tifa and Vincent made a break when they heard screams, and people running to come and stop them.

It was Vincent's rule to himself; Don't shoot an innocent person that ran the bar he frequented. But the other innocent people didn't matter to him. Why would it matter? They didn't work for him.

Zack was relieved when the back door slammed shut, showing he was in the clear, and that's when the pain started to sink in, in his arm and in his right shoulder. "Shit! Zack, can you hear me?" Cloud's voice rang in his ears, and he slowly looked to him with a weak smile and a nod.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"No you're not! You were shot." Cloud exclaimed, barely brushing his fingers over the wound, causing Zack to flinch. "We need to get you to the hospital." he concluded, helping Zack up, who nearly fell over the second he tried to put pressure on his left leg, only to find there was a bullet lodged into his thigh. Cloud swallowed hard, and started to carry Zack from the back, and received help when one of the bartenders came to help. They carried him to one of the back bed-rooms, and made him sit until an ambulance arrived.

A few hours passed, and Zack was still fighting any sleep that the morphine was trying to force his body in to. Cloud was sitting at his side, watching him, wondering if this was something Zack went through often. "You really do have to kill to stay alive, huh?" Cloud muttered under his breath. Zack just hummed in amusement.

"Yes, Cloud. I wasn't lying to you." He cringed and relaxed a bit, closing his eyes involuntarily. "I was a target long before I ever joined. And now that you're associated with someone like me, you'll forever be a target. They'll go after the ones you love first, kill them all, one by one, just to torture you into suicide. And if that doesn't work, they'll come after you personally." Cloud frowned at this, tilting his head.

"Why...Did you get into this kind of stuff?" Zack forced his eyes open, a blank look in his eyes. Cloud couldn't tell if he was trying to mask something, or if it were the medication taking over his body.

"Why did you join, Cloud? You can't handle killing someone, so why?" His voice was sluggish, slurred, and it trailed off. His head lulled to the side, and he was out in three seconds. Cloud swallowed hard, his heart pounding against his chest, hoping Zack wouldn't ask him the next day about his intentions.

"Just...Sleep, Zack." he murmured, standing slowly, as if afraid movement was going to wake him up, before quietly sneaking out of the room.

**T.B.C.**

**Please review, the more reviews, the quicker you'll get your update! )  
**


	6. Emotional

_**Emotional;**_

Zack awoke a while later in a dark hospital room, and panic rose in his chest. He sat up fast, wishing he hadn't as he felt a headache coming. "You're careless." came a cold voice next to him, and he jumped, yelping in surprise.

"S-Sephiroth! What...Are you doing here?" he asked, trying to recover, slowly relaxing, pain shooting up his leg that he masked well with a curious stare. Sephiroth just gave him a blank stare.

"You took a rookie with you. You could have been killed."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Zack shot, shifting.

"You're lucky. If Cloud hadn't been there, even as a rookie, you'd be dead. If you would have had someone else with you, you wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed, getting high off morphine." Zack just rolled his eyes and closed them again, feeling dizzy. "I have a bad feeling about Cloud. He hesitated to shoot, didn't he?"

"He's new at all of this. Give him time."

"If he's hesitant, he doesn't need to be the one going with you to meetings like that! He doesn't even need to be here!" It was rare Sephiroth snapped, but as of late, Zack had been putting himself in more dangerous situations. Zack just smiled at Sephiroth with a wink.

"I'm alive, which means he fought them off with me. It's good enough, no?"

"There's something else going on, even if you don't realize it yet, Zack. And it needs to stop before it begins. He's going to get you killed."

"Are you questioning my authority?" Zack snapped, being defensive and sitting up, ignoring the rapidly returning pain from the wounds, and an on-coming headache. "He stays! You and I both know there's only one way out, and I won't let that happen before he has a chance to prove his worth in this group!"

"You've only known him a year, Zack. It takes longer than that to really know someone." Sephiroth tried, but shut up the second Zack swung his legs over the edge of the hospital bed, reaching for the IV's in his arm. "Hold on, Zack, don't do that."

"I hate being vulnerable. I want to go home." His voice was quiet as he started to tug at the IV. Sephiroth put his hand over Zack's with narrowed eyes.

"As a friend, take my advice, Zack. Stay here for the night. Relax, try and get some more sleep."

"I want Rufus." Zack's voice was demanding, but held a tone Sephiroth was use to hearing when Zack was reverting to a child. He sighed at this and pulled his cell phone out, watching Zack as he played with the IV's. "If he doesn't come, I'm leaving..." Zack murmured. Sephiroth just nodded and turned away.

"Rufus, Zack wants you here at the hospital. He's acting like a child, and trying to pull his IV's out." he said, and went silent for a moment, and he hummed, before flipping his phone shut. "He's not happy with you, Zack." he warned, and Zack kept his gaze down, now playing with the hospital gown.

It wasn't much longer before Rufus showed up, and Zack was laying down again, fighting off sleep with Sephiroth sitting near him, looking a little uncomfortable. "Hey." Rufus said, and Zack sat up slowly. Sephiroth nodded and left respectfully. Rufus just folded his arms and walked towards him with a tilted head. "What's going on, Zack?" Zack swallowed hard, lowering his gaze.

"I can't remember the last time I was so scared..." he replied. Rufus frowned at this and watched him carefully as Zack began to shake a little. "If...Cloud hadn't been there, I'd be dead right now." his voice was strained as he spoke. Slowly, he drew his knees up and curled into himself, covering his head with his arms, screwing his eyes shut. Silence fell over them, and Rufus moved a little closer, wrapping his arms around Zack's shoulders, pulling him into his chest. Zack, at the contact, latched on to him and the tears started to flow as he let out a silent scream, no doubt from reliving a nightmare from his childhood. Rufus just rubbed his back and remained quiet as Zack cried, ignoring his body as it screamed for him to lay back down.

A little while later, he felt Zack starting to loosen his hold on him, and his body would jerk every few seconds. "Zack, if you're tired, you need to sleep." Rufus warned.

"No! I can't. I won't. I don't want to. I want to go home, please, just take me home. I don't want to be here. I can't be alone." Zack pleaded, his grip tightening on Rufus' shirt again, causing the man to sigh.

"Zack..." he sighed heavily, shaking his head. He finally pried himself free and forced Zack to lay down, taking a seat next to the bed. "Sleep."

"Swear you won't leave my side?" he questioned Rufus, who nodded, leaning back in the chair. Zack nodded and slowly relaxed, letting his eyes fall closed. Even after he was asleep, soft whimpers escaped his lips, and he would twitch every so often.

"What am I going to do with you, Zack? You're putting too much on your shoulders right now." he murmured, shaking his head a little. He waited until he was positive Zack was good and asleep before he got up and stepped from the room, making a phone call, as a warning to keep a look out for anyone suspicious in their ranks, or allies, before checking in on Zack, who was starting to get restless and stir in his sleep. With another sigh, Rufus walked into the room and sat back down.

The next morning, Zack awoke with only a nurse for company, and panic set in. He sat up and looked around the room, before his eyes fell on the doctor, who looked a bit startled. "Where's the person that was in here with me last night?" he asked.

"Um...He wanted me to assure you that he would be back to check on you in a little while. I need you to cooperate with me for now, though. I need to draw some blood." Zack nodded slowly, and his eyes fell on the needle. Closing his eyes, he let the doctor do what he needed, and relaxed again. "You do have a visitor, however. A Cloud Strife?"

"Let 'im in." Zack assured, closing his eyes. He waited for the door to open and close for a second time, and didn't even bother to open his eyes. "Hey, Cloud."

"How are you feeling?" Cloud asked, taking a seat next to him with a worried look on his face. Zack just smiled and glanced to him.

"Better than last night, I suppose. I was out all day, so I couldn't sleep." he replied, and Cloud nodded, looking down.

"I hesitated..."

"You're still new to all of this."

"Would you have hesitated?" Cloud asked, looking up through his bangs, keeping his head down.

"No... But you're not me." Zack replied with a light shrug of his good shoulder. Cloud frowned at this and lifted his head.

"Do you not care you could have been killed?" He was a bit shocked by Zack's behavior, and even more so when he got a response.

"I was terrified. I was so sure I was gonna die last night the second I saw him reaching for that gun. I was just worried about protecting you. If you wanted out, wanted to escape, it's not too late for you to turn yourself around and get your life on a good track. You don't have a criminal record, I'm sure, with the way you were so hesitant to pull that trigger."

"Can't you? It's not too late for you, is it?" Cloud asked, tilting his head.

"Actually, it is. The first time I've ever killed was when I was thirteen. I get a kick out of killing those that deserve it. I have a record, and no one's going to want to hire..." He trailed and looked at Cloud with a small laugh. "I'm sure you don't care about my problems, I shouldn't be talking to you about this." Cloud felt offended, and wasn't so sure why.

"Why would you think I wasn't interested? I want to know more about the person I'm working for."

"Ah, but that's where I draw a line. Nothing personal, but we have rats running amongst us, and I can't chance that. Not right now." Zack replied, tilting his head a bit with a small smile, looking away.

Cloud glared at him. "No wonder they're always yelling at you. God, you act like you're invincible! News flash, Zack! You're a fucking human, and last night proved it! You could have died, and keeping all this shit in is not helping your mental state."

"Let it go!" Zack snapped, knocking the food tray over and glaring at Cloud, who jumped and took a few steps back out of fear from the look on Zack's face. "Go do your damn job and get more information on that female cop from a few days ago and report back to Rufus Shinra."

"Screw you, Zack! I'm not afraid of you! You're in a damn hospital bed, hooked up to IV tubes, what the hell could you...What're you doing?" Cloud asked, watching as Zack reached for an IV. He quickly ran over and grabbed Zack's hands, forcing him to let go of the IV and pull his arms apart, his eyes locking with Zack's, which were unreadable.

"I'll show you what I can do, Cloud, if you push my buttons." Zack replied in a quiet voice, and Cloud felt his breathing become shallow. With a nod, he slowly released Zack, who relaxed and closed his eyes. "God, I can't stand it in here. I want to go home, where I won't be catered to. It's annoying." he then murmured, and Cloud shook his head with a sigh. What was he getting into?

"I think you should just rest, Zack. The nurse said the doctor might let you go soon, if you behave." Cloud said, watching as Zack slowly relaxed. Once he released Zack's wrists, Zack reached up and tenderly touched his shoulder, wincing in pain a bit. "You gonna be okay…?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about me, Cloud. I'm just fine." He replied, glancing to Cloud with a weak smile. "Hey, I didn't get to thank you…For saving my life the other night." Cloud made a face, and lowered his gaze, chewing on his bottom lip for a moment.

"I hesitated. I noticed how he was acting, so I should have said something…" He murmured, and Zack just chuckled, reaching over to ruffle Cloud's hair.

"If you hadn't been there, I'd be dead right now." He said, and Cloud just stared at him in disbelief, shaking his head. "Thanks, kid." Cloud nodded and smiled a little, keeping his gaze down.

A few hours later, Zack found himself being taken home by Rufus. Reno sat in the back seat, and was going on about how reckless Zack was, and how he needed to get off his pedstool and accept the fact that he needed to start being more careful. All of this went unheard by the ravenette, who was fast asleep in the front seat. By the end of Reno's rant, Rufus just laughed and shook his head. "You do realize Zack's asleep, yes?" Reno's jaw dropped.

"You mean he didn't hear a single word?"

"Oh, he heard you, for the first fifteen minutes, he just tuned you out and fell asleep." Rufus laughed again at the frustrated sounds coming from Reno.

"I'm gonna kill him…"

"I'd like to see you try." Came Zack's sleepy voice as Zack slowly sat up and stretched. Reno jumped and flailed.

"Dammit, Zack! You gotta quit doing that!" Reno snapped, letting his head drop a little as Zack smiled. They pulled into Zack's drive and he stared at the house for a moment.

"Thanks, Ruf. I'll call you later and let you know how I'm holding up, kay?"

"I'm holding you to that. If you don't, I'm sending someone in after you." He warned playfully, and Zack nodded with a small laugh, getting out of the car and heading up, inside. Reno climbed up front and sighed, glancing to Rufus, who looked uneasy.

"I don't trust Cloud." The older man said, and Reno nodded.

"I'll keep watch on him, if you want." He offered, and Rufus nodded, pulling out of the drive.

**T.B.C.**


	7. Tattoo

_**Tattoo**_

_**Quick Note;**__ Names of Maids are made up, and they don't really play a bit role, so don't bitch when they pop up. Kay thanks! :D Super Upload, guys!  
_

The night had gone well for Zack, and he had called Rufus as he had promised, and crashed the second he took his medications. Despite claiming he was alright, the maids in the house had constantly poked their heads in on him to see if he was okay, or if he needed anything. He slept fine that night, so the next morning he was up early. Once he was up, he started breakfast, not bothering to wait for a maid. Pulling his medicine from the cabinent, he eyed the bottle for a few minutes, making a face, before pulling a pill out, and putting it in a glass of water, glancing over his shoulder to make sure none of the maids were around. As he finished breakfast, he let the pill disolve before dumping it down the sink and rinsing it out.

Once breakfast was finished, he sat down to eat, smiling when one of the maids came in with a surprised look on her face. "Morning!" He chirped, and she smiled.

"Well, good morning, Master Fair." She replied, ruffling his hair as she walked past him to start on the dishes. He frowned and swatted at her hand, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Did you take your medicine?"

"Yeah." They fell into silence as she looked at him. She knew better than that. He had a guilty look on his face, but didn't want to question him in fear of losing her job. They both smiled awkwardly at each other before returning to what they were doing, or getting ready to do. Zack finished off breakfast, dropped his dishes in the sink, and kissed the woman on the cheek. "Thanks, Keighlah, I'm gonna head out for a swim."

"But you shouldn't...You should be resting." She protested, frowning when he waved over his shoulder with one of his 'charming' smiles.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine! If anyone comes over for me, send them to the back!" He called, disappearing up the stairs to his room, where he threw on a pair of swim trunks, before heading outside.

A few hours passed, and Zack was still outside in the pool while the maids were inside cleaning. Cloud found himself standing at the door, hesitant to ring the bell. He felt the need to check up on Zack, even if he had claimed he was okay. He still felt horrible. After a few minutes of arguing with himself, he lifted his hand to ring the bell, only to have one of the maids pull open the door and jump in surprise at seeing Cloud there. "Um..." It was Keighlah. She had short brown hair and deep green eyes. "Can...I help you with something?"

"I was hoping to see Zack." Cloud replied with a small, awkward smile.

"Oh, right! I remember who you are. I'm so sorry about that. Master Fair is in the back in the pool. RIght this way." She said, motioning for Cloud to follow, and he did, closing the door behind him. Once around back, Keighlah smiled, and excused herself, after pointing Cloud in the right direction. Cloud waved her off and waited a moment, before turning to head around to the pool. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Zack jumping off the diving board, his breath hitching for that split second when he caught sight of the tattoo. It covered almost his hole back, only leaving the spot straight down on his spine free of tattoo ink. It was a tattoo of black wings. When Zack imerged from the water, he was surpried to see Cloud standing there.

"Whoa! When did you get there?"

"Since when did you have a tattoo?" Cloud retaliated, and Zack shrugged, swimming to the edge and climbing out. Both were unaware that Cloud's eyes had traveled for a few seconds, until he caught himself and forced them back up to meet Zack's.

"I've had it for quite some time now. What's up, kiddo?"

"One, stop calling me that. Two, I came to check up on you." He replied, his eyes falling to Zack's shoulder as he reached up and brushed his fingers over the bandage. "Should you even be in chlorinated water with that?"

"Eh, what's the worst that could happen?" Zack asked, finding that he enjoyed the light touch, even if it wasn't skin-on-skin contact.

"Infection." Cloud replied, his eyes slowly drifting back up to meet Zack's. The amused look caused him to quickly pull away after smacking him a few inches from the wound.

"Ow! Hey, what the fuck, Cloud?" Zack asked, rubbing the spot.

"Don't give me that look when I'm worrying over you and I won't hurt you." Cloud replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Zack just gave him a sad look and then looked to his wound.

"Ow, that really hurt, bully." He whined. "Anyway, I'm fine, really. You don't have to check up on me."

"I thought I should." Cloud replied, and got a thoughtful look. "But, if you're okay, then I should get going. I have a few things to do today, anyway." Zack made a face at this, and stuck his tongue out the second Cloud turned his back. "I saw that." Cloud pointed to the glass, that was almost like a mirror, it was that clean, and Zack just grinned.

"Take the offer."

"I'm gone." Cloud said, waving as he walked off, and Zack watched him, his smile fading a bit when Cloud disappeared into the house.

"I've really gotta stop doing that..." He muttered to himself, falling back into the water backwards, sinking to the bottom for a few seconds, before swimming to the surface. Afterwards, he decided to climb out and head inside to change into dry clothes, then go pestur the maids.

Once he was dressed, he snuck up behind one of the maids that had came from Greece, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Hey there, cutie." He said, and she jumped, blushing a bit as she smacked at his arms.

"Master Fair, you scared me." She breathed, shaking her head at him when he laughed.

"Sorry, Penny. Couldn't help myself." He replied with a chuckle, resting his chin on her shoulder. "So, what're we doing for dinner?"

"You haven't even eaten lunch." She replied, giving him a look.

"It's too late for lunch." Zack defended, and she frowned.

"You really should stop doing that. It's not healthy." She scolded, and he released her, waving a dismissive hand as he started to dig in the freezer.

"Do you think Cloud would like spicey chicken stirfry?" He asked as he dug through the freezer, and Penelope gave him a curious look.

"Didn't he leave, sir?" Zack looked over his shoulder with puffed cheeks.

"I really wish you ladies would stop calling me 'sir' and 'Master Fair'. It just feels weird." He muttered, getting out the chicken, and some vegetables the maids had gotten from the store the day before. "My name is Zackary Ryder Fair. Call me Zack." It was the same introduction he used when the maids were first hired by him. She made a face, but shook her head and smiled a little afterwards.

"Sorry Ma...Zack." She said. All of them felt weird calling him by that name.

"Better." He said, grabbing a cutting knife, before walking back over and starting to chop up the vegitables, and chicken. After dumping it all into the pan, he washed his hands and called Cloud.

"Yes?"

"I know you kinda just left, and said you had some things to do, but I was wondering if you wanted to drop back by for dinner."

"But I _just_ left." Cloud replied.

"Yeah, but...Keighlah wanted you to come back. I think she has a crush on you." Zack lied, leaning against the counter as he glanced to the clock, hoping Cloud would agree as he bit his bottom lip. There was a sigh on the other end, and a moment of silence and Cloud fought himself for an answer.

"Fine...When?"

"I'm cooking now, actually, if you wanna turn around and come back. It should be ready in about thirty, fourty five minutes." He replied, perking up a bit.

"Kay. I'll be there shortly. I have to stop and pick up a few things, and run them back to the house. See ya soon, Zack." Cloud hung up and stared at the phone for a minute, shaking his head a bit before heading into the store, grabbing a few things.

A short bit later, Cloud pulled back up into Zack's drive, and debated a moment before he got off the bike and headed up to the door, knocking. Penelopee was the one to answer the door and smiled. "You're back. Come on in. Master Fair's waiting for you in the kitchen."

"I heard that, Penny." Zack said, appearing behind her, and she jumped, turning to face him.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it. I don't feel right..."

"Say it with me; Zack." He said, slowly, and she sighed.

"I'm sorry, Zack." She murmured, and he smiled, patting her shoulder before turning to Cloud.

"Well, come on in. I didn't think you were really coming back." Cloud, needless to say, was a bit shocked, but wasn't aware of how odd this dinner was going to be for him. Following him into the kitchen, his jaw nearly dropped when he saw all of Zack's maids sitting around the table, or moving around the kitchen in street clothes, opposed to their uniforms from earlier. There was the one from Greece, then there was one that looked like she was from Spain, one from Korea, and a few that were local. "This is part of my family."

"It's...A bit shocking..." Cloud admitted, glancing to Zack some. Zack just smiled and shrugged, walking over to get a plate of dinner, handing it to Cloud as he walked up to him.

"Hope you like spicey food. Should have asked, but..."

"It's fine." Cloud said with a small smile, walking over to sit down, and Zack was close behind. There was small talk durring dinner, and Cloud just sat back and watched them, amazed by Zack's interaction with all of them. It was like they were his sisters or something.

"What about you, Cloud?" One of the maids asked, and Cloud blinked, glancing to her with the fork in his mouth and a confused look on his face.

"Hm?" He asked, feeling a bit embaressed that he had even zoned out.

"Well, someone has spring fever." Another joked. It was the one that looked like she was French. Cloud's face heated up, and Zack grinned, nudging him.

"Does Cloud have a crush on one of my lady friends?" Zack asked, and Cloud punched him in the arm.

"Shut up, Zack!" He shot, looking down. "I do not." He muttered, suddenly wishing he hadn't came back. The maid sitting next to him smiled and pat his back.

"Don't take anything Zack says to heart. He's a child." She said, and Cloud nodded with a murr. Zack pouted at that and flailed.

"Mimi! That's not nice!" He protested, making a sad face.

Dinner went on with Zack getting picked on, and Cloud eased into the conversations, like he had been apart of the group since the beginning. When it came to an end, Zack walked Cloud to the door and paused, smiling a bit. "You don't have to leave. You should stay the night."

"I can't. I have some things to do." Cloud replied, almost feeling awkward about the situation.

"Come on, it's getting late." He tried again. Cloud hesitated, and debated a moment before shaking his head.

"I really can't, Zack. I really have to get back. I'll talk to you tomorrow, no doubt." He replied, turning to walk away. Zack bit his lip, forcing his arm to stay at his side. He didn't know why he felt like he wanted to be around Cloud constantly. At first, he thought it was more of a protective side of him, since Cloud was new, and just starting out, but now he felt it was something more. He never thought anything of his flirting, but apparently his maids caught on when he told them about his day with Cloud. It was as if luck was on his side when thunder rolled in the sky, causing Cloud to jump and look up at the sky just as lightning flashed and it started to pour. "You can't drive home in this." Zack then said, almost smirking.

"Mm...I guess I'll take you up on that offer. Just for tonight though." Cloud said, turning back to head inside, hesitantly. Zack caught that, and frowned when it felt like someone stabbed him in the chest.

T.B.C.


	8. Deceiver of Hearts

Heya! I just realized that I made a mistake D: I meant to put this up instead of that chapter. I am so sorry! I took over this whole chapter, that's why it's tad different than the rest. My lovely partner had to go through surgery, so I will be taking over for the time being. She did help point out a few types I made while writing this!

**Deceiver of Hearts**

After Cloud left Zack's, he immediately went home to get all of his stuff together. He wasn't lying when he said that he had other things to do. The other day was unfortunate because it pulled him away from an important meeting: way more important than Zack. His eyes slid closed with annoyance when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket: Zack was the first person that came into his mind. It wouldn't be that way if the man didn't constantly call him the second he leaves him alone. That always threw him off about Zack. How can a relentless killer be so clingy and so decent to his workers?

That was a question for another time; right now he had somewhere to be. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he checked the caller ID: a look of relief swept over his features. Flipping it open, "I'm on my way." He said in a firm tone before hanging up without further conversation. His vibrant blue eyes scanned the room for his car keys. When he spotted them, he snatched them in a tight fist before rushing out the door. When he hopped on his motorcycle, he started it up and sped out of the driveway. He was sure to check the area around him for anything suspicious.

Working undercover in the mob always had him paranoid. Especially with that act that Zack put up every so often, He had to admit though, a part of him wondered if it really was an act or if that's really how he was towards people. Cloud shook his head at even thinking such ridiculous things. A cold blooded killer was, and would always, be a cold blooded killer. Zack Fair was just a star manipulator, it was no wonder why he's made it so far and escaped murder charges and other unforgivable acts. Why was he even questioning the morality of the man who killed the closest thing he had to a father?

Anyone who committed such a crime deserved the worst. Death wasn't the worst punishment in his opinion: life imprisonment was much more satisfying. According to Cloud, death was just another easy way out of living up to what you have done. They should sit there and be haunted by the crime of what they stole from the families who don't deserve that kind of pain. No family deserved the feeling of losing another.

When he got to the police station his heart felt like it carried a few tons. His tired but determined blue eyes lifted to look at the small building. He wasn't having second thoughts. This was what he was meant to do: bringing justice to his father, and that meant making sure Zack was thrown in prison for life. That's exactly what he was going to do. Even if it killed him in the process.

"Strife."

The Chief Commissioner addressed with a big grin on his face. The man was round in figure and had a red face that made it look as if he ran a mile. When Cloud had first met him, he wondered if the man had one too many doughnuts. But that was before he learned that usually that wasn't the case. When he got to Cloud, he put his hand on his back and started to push him toward the interrogation room so they could have some privacy without anyone listening in.

"What do you have for me?" His tone was enthusiastic, earning a polite smile from the other man. Cloud was one of the best on his team and never let him down before. He was surprised that Cloud was going to take on a big case like taking down Zack Fair. Anyone who did that never lived to tell the tale. No one lasted as long as Cloud did.

It was a moment before Cloud spoke. He wanted to be here as a way to remind himself of his goal. Yes, he wanted Zack thrown in prison, that was a sure thing. But that didn't mean that he didn't have a single thought against it. "I can get proof in tomorrow. I heard his maid's talking and if I can... If I can get the evidence and they aren't just rumors... We can have his ass put in jail by the end of next week."

The commissioner let out a hearty laugh, "That's what I like to hear!" He said in a jolly tone, but then his face took a few minutes to sober up. His eyes revealed a seriousness that you wouldn't expect from such a happy-go-lucky fellow. It's also his goal to put down the mob bosses that ruin the lives of others. Not only that, but it was going to do a lot for their careers if Cloud does manage to nail Zack.

"You better be right about this, Strife. This could really up your status. Are you willing to follow this all the way through? I gotta say, no one has gotten this close to Zack Fair. But you are still young and have a life ahead of you-"

"It's my job and I already swore to myself that Zack Fair isn't going to get another chance to kill another innocent." Cloud growled softly, narrowing his piercing blue eyes into the Commissioner's dull brown ones. "No way am I turning back after I've gotten this close. Has Leon talked to you about something?" He automatically assumed, eyes narrowing suspiciously. His partner in the investigation always had a knack for overreacting and doubting his way of handling things. It pissed him off. He and Leon went way back, hell, they both had to deal with the loss of Officer Le-Roy Gibbs.

Officer Le-Roy Gibbs was a father to many children who didn't have parents or lacked a father figure in their life. Cloud and Leon were two of the few that were blessed to have that kind of support. Which made it even more difficult for Cloud to fathom why any one would want to kill him? What was the incentive to kill a man who helped so many people? It didn't matter what the incentive was, there's no excuse for murder.

"Calm down Cloud, why do you always assume Leon's the reason for everything?"

"Because, Cal, that's how he is." Cloud replied quickly, dropping his gaze down to the table. Whenever Leon suspected Cloud was faltering in a mission, he would always go to the Commissioner and tell him about his _pointless_ concerns. Even though he's had so many successful cases, almost every officer doubted him. It wouldn't piss him off as much if it were just Leon's nagging. "He sees one thing wrong and he twists it into a bigger deal when it's really not."

"Give your partner some credit, he's the one whose watching your back when no one else gives a damn." Cal got up and clapped his meaty hand on Cloud's shoulder enthusiastically. "Now go get that evidence and come back in one piece. Don't come back unless you have something that can pin that guy's ass on my wall." He grinned as he started out the door.

"I need a prize trophy anyway."

(Please review! I can't stress it enough! It would be really encouraging to know that people are into the story besides seeing the favorites. PS, my co-writer needs some love. Send it through reviews?)


	9. Alyss

Evelyn: I hope you guys had a good and safe Halloween!Thanks for all you readers being so patient! Life has been pretty crazy! Family issues and having to make road trips from one state to the other side of the country. XD We finally found a place to hook the computer up and borrow a wireless connection. =] Oh, and just so you know... Me and my lovely co-writer have made a penname for our collab stories! ^^

Our Penname is : **Evelyn Panda –** We have a couple stories up and running! =]

**Clolot: **You'll have to see! And, some people are only suspicious because they are trying to look out/working for Zack. ^^

**Diablo777: **Well, we're open to any suggestions you would like to make for the story. =] We already have a good deal of it planned out, but suggestions are always good!

**Thank you to all the others who reviewed! ^^ It's greatly appreciated!**

Now! Here's chapter nine!

**Alyss**

Commissioner Cal's words stuck to Cloud's mind all night and it still bothered him the next day. It bothered him how cops look at criminals like trophies. So what if you took down the most lethal gangster? All that mattered was that the gangster was removed from the streets and placed in jail. That way they wouldn't be able to cause harm to the innocent. Wasn't it about keeping people safe from harm?

He could careless about the benefits that come with taking down Zack Fair. What mattered to him that the murderer was no longer able to hurt anymore people. He was almost taken off the case for being 'emotionally' involved in the investigation. And Squall wasn't helping his case. Just because he liked to take his time, and not get killed in the process, did not mean that he couldn't complete the task at hand.

Leon thought the exact opposite.

Cloud had debated to himself on whether or not he should go back to Zack's mansion. He didn't want to make it seem like he was trying too hard to be around the gangster. Though, lately it had been Zack who called him out to visit the last time. So obviously he must be doing something right in order for Zack to demand his company more than any of his other bodyguards or lackeys. But then there was the fact that he could be purposely trying to appeal to Cloud's good side to make him seem like a more suitable Mob Boss to work for. It would make sense since Gangsters want to make their lackeys think that they are a better choice than their rival family. In the end, they were all the same.

Killers.

So, anything was possible.

He could be the most careful person in the world and make a mistake and pay for it.

That's how the world worked.

Ten minutes have past and he found himself parked in Zack's driveway. His eyes stared directly at the large doors that were decorated with wild ivy. There were two gargoyle statues glaring in his direction with their mouths opened wide. Letting out a sigh, he pulled his car keys out of the ignition and stuffed them in his pocket, before leaving his vehicle. For a split second, he saw some purple move with the corner of his eye. Turning his head to get a better view, he caught the person running around the corner towards the back of the mansion.

Curiosity got the best of him: he decided to find out who that person was. Judging by what he saw, it looked like that person was a child. Why would a child be lingering around a place like this? Hell, why should a child be near a place like this? When he got to the side of the mansion, he picked up the pace when he saw the figure turn around the back corner to the back yard. Before he could turn around the corner, he didn't see the foot appear in front of him and it caused him to trip and land face first into the ground. Spatting out dirt, he cringed at the bitter taste of soil.

"Why are you following me?"

Slowly, Cloud pushed himself up into sitting position. Covering his face with both hands, he pressed his forehead with his fingers, trying to ease the small headache. Dropping his hands in his lap, he blinked up to see the source of the voice. His blue eyes widened with confusion when he took in the face off a girl that looked no more than twelve years old.

"What's a kid doing at a place like this?" He asked her, instead of answering the question.

A wide, devious, smile spread on the child's face.

"My name is Alyss. Zack Fair's my daddy."

**Evelyn: Sorry for giving you guys such a short chapter (but I won't apologize for the cliffy xD)) Anyways, Alyss is a character from the anime Pandora Hearts, just so all of you know~ Haha. So I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! ^-^ Please review, it'll make us update faster! We have a lot more free time, so we can update really fast if we got enough reviews! Until then!)**


	10. Alice

**Alice**

Cloud's eyes widened at the information, and amusement seemed to dance in the girl's amethyst eyes. They definitely reminded the blond of Zack's eyes. White eye shadow seemed to bring out the purple a little more. She wore an extremely light pastel purple skirt that came a third of the way down her legs with a corset top that extended and flared out with a bow on the back, and detached sleeves that belled out. Around her neck was a black, thin ribbon that was wrapped around several times with three blue roses. Her hair was long, and a white color. Around the bottom of her left leg was white gauze that covered her calf, and she wore a pair of white, ankle high, high heel boots.

And somehow, she had an eery, yet innocent look to her.

"Zack's...daughter? But..." He started, rolling back when he noticed her shifting, only to bring her leg up, aiming to kick him in the head, getting up on his knees, ready to jump back if needed. However, she stayed where she was and just smiled still at him. "That was a little uncalled for..."

"Following me back here was uncalled for." She retaliated, folding her hands behind her back while tilting her head.

"You could've been lost. Kids shouldn't be in a place like this."

"But I'm not lost. Maybe you should get lost, though." She started to walk towards him, hands still folded innocently behind her back, and he stood, taking a couple steps back. "Bad things happen to people who aren't suppose to be here." Her tone was far from innocent, however, and it made him wonder. She definitely had a personality that resembled Zack's.

"I have rights to be here." He replied, taking another step back as she took another step forward.

"Is that so? I don't remember you, and I know almost all of Daddy's friends. If you're a cop, you had better have a search warrant." She warned, her eyes narrowing dangerously at him. "Or I will make bad things happen to you." Another step forward caused another step back.

"Shouldn't a kid your age be more worried about grades and school, and leave all the bad things to your dad?" Cloud asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Anyone who tries to take my daddy away is no better than a monster. Just because he's a mob boss doesn't mean he's a bad person!" She growled, her hands balling into fists as they fell to her sides. "He takes very good care of us!"

"I didn't say he was a bad person. Don't put words in my mouth."

"Then who are you?" She finally yelled, and that dangerous, murderous intent Zack got in his eyes when he was pissed mirrored in Alyss'.

"I work for your dad." He replied calmly. Alyss blinked and seemed to calm down a little bit, glancing around front, before a squeak escaped her lips and she turned to run.

"Alyss! You know you're not suppose to be outside." Zack's voice stopped her in her tracks, and she looked over her shoulder, and Cloud looked over with relief in his eyes as Zack walked up to them, a girl with brown hair that resembled the one he had just met next to him. The brunette looked to him with cold, amethyst eyes.

She wore a black mini skirt, a black tank-top covered by a red and white trench coat. She wore a pair of black, knee high socks with a pair of white, knee high boots. Her hand rested on her hip as she turned to face Cloud. "He's uglier in person. Come on, Alyss, let's go inside." She stated, turning to her twin.

Cloud blinked in disbelief as he looked between the two girls as the brunette walked over and linked arms with Alyss. "Alice, that wasn't very nice." Alice looked to him with a small smile and waved, leading Alyss away while she complained about wanting to stay outside.

Watching them walk away, Zack let out a small sigh, before glancing to Cloud. "Sorry. They're something else..." He said.

"You didn't tell me you had kids." Cloud pointed out.

"Ah, well, I don't tell anyone about having kids. It's easier to keep them out of harm's way." Zack replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Isn't it dangerous to have them in the house anyway? Your enemies could target you at your house, and it could endanger your kids."

"They'd be pretty damn stupid to attack me on my own grounds." Zack dismissed, motioning for Cloud to follow. "Not only do I have an alarm system, the maids weren't hired without having some kind of knowledge of how to defend themselves, and I have weapons all through the house. Not to mention, the girls have gone, and are going through, martial arts training." He started to say more, but stopped himself and looked to Cloud with a slightly guilty look.

"Zack...?"

"Well, if they're gonna be here, I need them to know how to protect themselves with what's accessible, and that's pretty much just guns..."

"But they're really young. They shouldn't have to know how to use weapons." Cloud countered, frowning. A short tempered kid, plus a dangerous weapon equaled disaster. Especially one with Zack's personality.

"I've always believed that kids should learn how to protect themselves at an early age. You never really know what'll happen." His tone was bitter, and his mood seemed to change instantly. "For example, a pissed off cop breaking into your house and murdering your parents before looking for you."

"Not all cops are like that." Cloud defended, hoping he didn't sound too defensive, an annoyed look crossing his face as he glared at the back of Zack's head when he laughed.

"Wouldn't you like to believe that. It's the reason I chose this life style." He glanced back at Cloud, who quickly forced a curious look. "In any case, let's head inside. Penny made dinner a bit early today."

And it still never ceased to amaze Cloud at how quickly Zack's moods changed like they did.

**~Panda~**


	11. Oz Bezarius Fair

**Oz Bezarius Fair**

Dinner had come to an end, and the night had seemed to drag on a bit. Cloud found himself laying in bed, just staring at the ceiling with a bored look on his face. He was getting restless, but was a little worried about the twins he had met earlier. _They're probably in bed. Zack seemed like a pretty strict dad when it came to their well-being..._ He thought, sitting up and stretching. Glancing at the clock, it read three forty eight AM. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he pulled his pants back on over his boxers and climbed out of bed. He didn't find it necessary to have a shirt on, and just wandered from the room, and down the halls.

The damn mansion was so big, and that never ceased to amaze him either. He forced himself to remember how far he walked, and which direction he turned to try and make sure he didn't get lost. Pausing, he kind of glanced around, before peering into every other room, as if looking for something to use against him. So far, there was nothing...

–

"Ow! Alyss! Alice! C'mon, stop it!" A blond boy whined, flailing as he tried to avoid his younger sister's grasps, which was proving to be a complete fail. Emerald green eyes looked up pleadingly at the twins, who just smiled sadistically at him as they cornered him. "Come on, Alyss, Alice, you wouldn't wanna hurt me, would you? I mean, I'm your only little brother, and all." the boy pleaded.

"Get it, Alice." Alyss said, and Oz let a few tears slide down his cheeks in hopes it would derail the twins from his impending doom.

–

Cloud sighed as he continued down the halls, running his hand along them, as if it would help him remember where he was. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, though, he was greatly doubting his ability to find his way back to his room. He was beginning to regret leaving the room now. Just a little bit. Blinking, he thought he had heard noises, but shrugged it off and kept walking, rounding a corner.

Not ten steps forward, a door flew open, a blond boy came falling out, and tripped Cloud in the process. Alice and Alyss, came to the door at the extra crash, and both girls covered their mouths to keep from laughing at the sight. Cloud had tripped over Oz, who was laying on his stomach, arms stretched out past his head with his eyes closed, whining.

"Oowwwwwwwwwwwww! Alice, that was very uncalled for!" He whined, slowly sitting up and rubbing his side. It was slow, but his mind finally processed the pain in his side, and lifted his gaze. Sky met emerald, and Oz jumped up with wide eyes. "Is this Dad's new pla...I mean, associate?" He asked, looking to the twins.

"Yep!" Alyss stated.

"Daddy has a new play mate." Alice added, and Cloud made a face at that, but wasn't going to say anything.

"And you are...?" Cloud asked, though, somehow, he really didn't want to know. The blond _had_ an innocent look to his eyes, but somehow, he figured there just might be a bit of...

"Oz Bezarius Fair! Zack's one and only boy!"

Yep, there was definitely a bit of Zack's distrusting look in his eyes.

"Boy? You act like a girl sometimes." Alice said, and Oz turned to her with a sad look.

"Alice is not very nice to Oz." He spoke in third person, and Cloud was beginning to wonder if the whole family was bi-polar.

…

There was a family here.

…

Something just didn't sit right.

"Um, can I ask...About your mother?" He asked cautiously, and all three turned to him.

"Mom flat out left him after Oz was born. She said she wanted nothing to do with him." Alice started, an annoyed look in her eyes.

"However, we still loved our father, and told Oz nothing but the good things about him." Alyss put in.

"And we just kept asking Mom to come and see Daddy." Alice.

"So here we are." Alyss. "It's very rare we get to see him." Her look went solemn.

"You're very close to him, aren't you?" Cloud asked, and Oz was the one to answer this time.

"Yep! Everyone looks at him like he's a bad man, but really, all he's doing is helping people. I know not all cops are bad, I've been saved by a couple, but he told us about what happened to him when he just a kid, younger than us. He told us there were a few cops that had just broke into his house, and..."

"Oz!" The twins yelled at the same time, and Cloud frowned.

"He is an outsider as far as we are concerned." Alice scolded, walking over to him, Alyss in tow.

"You are to tell him absolutely nothing." the paler twin put in as they moved on either side of him.

The lighting from the window just across the hall from the door they had came out of washed over them, causing the twins to glow a bit eerily. And Oz just looked like an innocent boy that had just sold his soul to the devil. "But..." Oz protested, looking to Cloud, who had to tear his gaze away from the twins. It was like they were looking past him, like they were seeing into his soul, and quite frankly, it crept him out.

"Alyss, take Oz back to his room. I'll escort Mr. Strife back to his own." Alice said, turning her back to Cloud, but glanced over her shoulder at him, and he nodded weakly, slowly beginning to follow her.

Both girls wore similar nightgowns. A long, see-through sleeved gown, with a solid color along the body that dropped to the ground, making it seem as if they were floating, and the fabric looked like it was made of silk. Alice wore black, and Alyss wore white. Alyss and Oz watched Cloud and Alice, before turning to head in the direction of Oz's room.

"You really shouldn't wander the halls, Cloud. I don't trust you as it is, and it does not look good on you when you're wandering the halls of someone elses home."

"I got lost." Cloud lied. Or, half lied.

"There's a bathroom right next door to you. If I see you in this hall again, I won't hesitate to chop your head off with my scythe." She warned, looking to him.

Oh yes, they definitely had Zack's morbid personality. Well, wasn't that fun? He wondered how long they were gonna be there, because they were in the way of his job.

Once in his room, he watched Alice as she turned to walk away, glancing over her shoulder. "If anyone takes my father away from us, I will personally hunt them down and use their heads as a trophy. Remember that, Officer Strife."

**~Panda~**

Surprise! Betcha didn't see that one coming, huh? XD

Reviews?

Please?

Thankies!


	12. The Torture Chamber

**The Torture Chamber**

"If anyone takes my father away from us, I will personally hunt them down and use their heads as a trophy. Remember that, Officer Strife." Her tone was hollow. Alice was hoping she would get her warning across.

Ever since their mother had left Zack, despite the smiles, all of his kids could see the empty shell that was left in his eyes. Maybe it was just the bond between a father and his kids. But since Cloud had come along, there was more life to his voice whenever he talked to the kids, and when they had seen him for the first time in over a year, that smile was there.

Alice and Alyss had talked to Penny, and she said it was because of Cloud, and Alice got suspicious, so she did research. She wanted to give Cloud the benefit of the doubt, give him the chance to make the right decision. She didn't want to see her father hurt again. She feared it would cause him to close up, and not even want to spend time with herself, her twin and their little brother.

Cloud felt his heart skip a beat as he watched the girl walk away from him. Her eyes held that promise that Zack's did when he was pissed, or swearing revenge on an enemy. If there had been any doubt about them being Zack's kids before, it was definitely gone by then. Alice paused halfway down the hall and glanced back, an innocent smile tugging at her lips. "Good night, sir!" She called back, before turning and running off, as if nothing had just happened.

A few hours had passed, and Cloud was unable to sleep. Alice had flat out crept him out. Slowly climbing out of bed, he looked to the clock. No one could be up at this hour. At least, Cloud was hoping so. Once more, he got dressed and headed out of the room. Pausing, he glanced down the hall to make sure Alice wasn't watching, before turning and heading the opposite way, his hand once more trailing the walls as he inched as quietly down the hall as he could.

A few halls later, He came to a dead end, with a door that seemed out of place. It looked as if it were made of metal. Glancing back, Cloud started to walk towards it. Reaching out slowly, he placed his fingertips on it to find that, indeed, it was a metal door. Reaching for the handle, he slowly, carefully, pushed it open. Across from the door was a medium sized window, with bars, and to his left was a small, twin-sized bed.

But that wasn't what almost made him lose his dinner.

The scent of blood had reached his senses the second the door was opened, and the sheets, and floor, looked like they were stained in blood. And it almost looked like it was only a couple days old. Covering his mouth, Cloud took a step back.

Connected to one of the walls were chains and shackles, and on the bed were handcuffs, and even a knife stained in blood.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself a little bit, he stepped into the room, making sure the door was propped open, and glanced around, finding another door. Gulping, he started towards it, a shaky hand reaching out for the knob. He hesitated, afraid of what he just might find behind the door. Hearing a light 'creaking' noise, however, he closed his eyes for a short second, and forced himself to turn the knob. Opening his eyes, he was greeted with a dead woman, covered in blood with her eyes gauged out and her stomach sliced open. It looked as if there were hands full of hair was pulled from her head. And she was hanging from a noose...

And everything he had eaten that day came up...

"Now, Cloud. I've told you not to wander the halls." Zack's voice sounded, as if nothing was wrong with the scene at hand, causing Cloud to jump. He would have screamed, if he wasn't busy trying to catch his breath, and calm his stomach at the same time. Hearing him approaching, Cloud spun around to see Zack only a couple feet away from him, as if he were dressed for the day.

"What the hell...?" Cloud managed, his voice strained a bit. Zack frowned at this and tilted his head.

"Come on, Cloud. Let's get you back into bed."

"That's one of your maids!" Cloud finally found his voice as he yelled at Zack, who didn't even flinch. A bored look crossed the amethyst-eyed man as he shifted his weight.

"I can tolerate a lot of things, Cloud, but when someone threatens Penny's life, they have to pay somehow. She's like my sister." He explained.

"I thought they were all like family to you...?" He was almost at a loss for words.

"Family doesn't try to stab you in the back, in the literal term, either." Zack's voice was beginning to sound irritated. "Now, I'm going to say this one more time. You should really go back to bed, Cloud." Cloud just stared at him in disbelief. He had something to call the man out on now, but there was a reminder in the back of his head;

Oz reminded him of himself at that age. And then there were the twins. They all needed him in their lives, but the man was a murderer. There was no way around that, and he was sent on a mission to get something against him.

"Daddy!"

"Stay in there!" Zack's voice was harsh towards the familiar voice of the blond boy as he turned his head so he was heard, but kept his eyes on Cloud, who was reminded of the body behind himself when he heard the creaking once more. "Cloud, I'm asking you nicely to just walk out of here and forget what you just saw."

"This is sick...And you wonder why your wife left y..."

Cloud didn't get to finish, and there was a resounding 'slap'. And Cloud found himself on the floor, inches away from something he would rather not know what it was, his cheek stinging.

"Dad!" Oz's voice called, worriedly. "What happened?"

"Go back to bed!" Zack called back again, mistakenly turning his attention away from Cloud, who took that opportunity to stand and attempt to tackle him. Zack was took quick, though, and side stepped, grabbing Cloud's arm and forcing it up behind his back. "I'm asking you nicely, Cloud. You really don't want me to force you." He warned. Cloud swallowed hard, turning his head just a bit to try and get a better look at Zack.

There had been something different about his eyes from the start. Like he was scared of something, but he was hiding behind his usual expressions. "I can't just forget about this..." Cloud managed out, flinching when Zack pushed up on his arm.

"Honestly, I don't care. The only thing I care about is you keeping your mouth shut to anyone. That means the people I trust too. Got it, Strife?" And Cloud nodded slowly, walking when Zack started to push him forward, slamming the door shut behind him. "You should probably go take a shower, instead of going back to your room. You're covered in blood." That did nothing to help Cloud's stomach. Nodding slowly, he nearly fell, even though Zack was gentle as he released him.

Oz was still standing around the corner with wide, innocent eyes, almost as if he was scared. The second his eyes met his father's, though, that fear turned real. He knew he was in trouble then. Without a word, Zack walked by with Cloud, helping him towards the bathroom. Once there, Cloud held up a hand, slowly, cautiously, looking to Zack, who had an apologetic look on his face as he reached up and brushed his fingers over his cheek, causing him to gasp and flinch away. "Ah! That hurt!" He exclaimed, bringing his hand up to his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Cloud." His voice was soft, sincere. "It's bruised, though. I'll go get some..."

"No! No, it's okay." Cloud cut him off, holding up his hand. "I just...I think I should just head home when I'm done in here." He said, watching as the look on Zack's face dropped.

"Cloud..."

"No. Just...Just, no, Zack." Cloud cut him off, turning to head into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him. The second he caught a glance of himself in the mirror, he was leaning over the toilet, finishing emptying his stomach...

Oz sat on Zack's bed, staring up at his father with innocent, and very apologetic eyes. "Dad, I'm sorry!" He tried, shutting his mouth when Zack looked down at him from his standing position. "I was gonna try and catch him, but Alyss kind of distracted me a little. Honest!"

"I don't care what you _were_ going to do, you should have done it!" Zack snapped, causing Oz to look down quickly at his hands, which were resting on his ankles, his legs folded Indian style on the bed. "I told you to clean up your mess when you were finished playing. Or at least lock the door behind you." He added, and Oz lowered his head more.

"I'm sorry. I'll go fix thi..."

"_SIT_ your ass back on that bed!" Zack all but yelled at the blond, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't just take the blame for you, just so you could go behind my back and tell him you did it. Let me handle this." When he caught the unshed tears in Oz's eyes, he let out a heavy sigh and ruffled his hair.

"I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you hurt again." Oz whimpered, keeping his head down. Zack let out another sigh and sat next to him, pulling him into a light hug.

"I'm a grown man, I'll be fine, okay?" He tried to assure, and Oz lifted his head a bit to look up at Zack, before shifting and resting his head in the man's lap, looking up to him some.

"Can I go back to sleep in here?" He asked, the tears finally falling, trailing back into the blond's hair-line.

"Of course you can, but I have something important to do today. I shouldn't be long, do you think you three can behave for a few hours?" Oz nodded lightly at this, and turned, curling his body up against Zack's a bit, so his head was still in his lap, but his knees were drawn up, behind Zack's back.

"I think so." He replied quietly, and it made Zack feel bad. He hadn't meant to snap at him, but he was really worried for him. Petting his hair for a little bit, he felt Oz relax as he fell asleep. Once he was sure the blond was asleep, Zack carefully moved him to the pillows, before throwing the blanket over him, and getting up to head out. He was, needless to say, surprised when he saw that Cloud was still there.

"You haven't left yet..." He sounded more confused than anything, his eyes resting on the bruise. "Does it still hurt?"

"Yes, it still hurts, idiot!" Cloud growled, glaring at him. He wanted to just spill everything that he was thinking, but that would require him to give up his cover. And he wasn't ready to die just yet. "Is that how you treat everyone? Like they're disposable?" This threw Zack off guard, and he frowned.

"No. It's not like that, Cloud. It's hard to explain. You have to understand that a lot has been taken away from me, and I'm still trying to get some of it back."

"Your parents are dead! Killing people isn't going to make that fact, or the pain from it, go away! Don't you ever think about the families that you're destroying? Huh? Did you ever stop to think of how this might effect your children? Did you ever stop to think about how they might feel if, say, one of your enemies, or even a damn cop, managed to get past your defenses and took you down? HUH?" The anger that had been pent up for some time now just exploded, and Zack stood there, stunned, mixed emotions swirling around in his eyes. "And what's worse is...You're teaching them that all of this is okay. You're no better than the cop that killed your parents, if they really were innocent of crime."

"Get the fuck out!" Even Penny, who was in the kitchen, was startled by this. Zack _never_ yelled. Unless it was at his children, but he'd never tell them to get out. "Fucking leave if that's how you feel. I've wasted too much damn time trying to defend your ass against everyone else. None of them trust you, you know. If it weren't for me, your ass would be six fucking feet under!" Without another word, Zack turned on his heel and walked away, only Penny catching the single tear that trailed down the man's cheek as she hurried out of the kitchen, her eyes widening. She slowly turned to see Cloud, a gasp escaping her lips.

"Oh dear..." She glanced back, to see Zack round a corner, before she walked over to Cloud, looking up at his cheek with a frown. "I've never seen Master Fair in such a foul mood..." She murmured. Okay, it was a definite lie, but towards Cloud? "Do you want me to get an ice pack for it?"

"No. Tell your damn 'master' to go fuck himself. I'll see him soon enough." Cloud replied, smacking her hand away and turning to walk from the house, nearly falling down the stairs when a cold, female voice sounded from the far end of the porch.

"You hurt my Daddy, didn't you?" Alice asked, standing, and Cloud turned, eyes narrowed. Alice just smiled innocently, folding her hands behind her back. "You might want to make yourself scarce for a little while, until Daddy calms down. You know, the people that work for him...They have nothing but respect for him, and they will murder anyone who brings him down. Sweet dreams, until next time. If you can even sleep." Her last words were hallow, and full of menace as she turned and headed inside. He swore her hair stuck up just enough to remind him of small devil horns...

This whole family was fucked up...

**~Panda~**

Wow... This chapter. . .

Yay!

So, whatcha think about it?

Good? Bad? Horrible?

So horrible that it was the best thing you've ever read in your life?

…

xD

Yeah right.  
Okay, reviews are awesome, tips are good too.

If you flame me, though, I'll just use it to HEAT UP THIS DAMN ROOM!

GAH! I hate Indiana weather this time of year...


	13. Confrontations

**Confrontations**

A couple of days had passed since Cloud had made the discovery, and he had been at war with himself the whole time. He couldn't avoid anything anymore, at this point. Leon had called him, and wanted to have lunch with him. He didn't come up with an excuse quick enough, so now he had no choice in the matter. Glancing in the mirror as he passed it, he winced. It was still a good shade of purple. _Perfect. Now I have to make an excuse for that._ He thought bitterly, grabbing his keys before heading out of the apartment, to his car.

Hesitating, Cloud climbed into his car and pulled out of the driveway, making the thirty minute trip back into town, where he was to meet Leon at the local cafe. Parking, he hesitated once more, watching the people around. He should have used something to cover the bruise on his cheek. And he was starting to debate turning around and going back to the apartment. Shaking his head a little at himself, he came up with an explanation for the bruise ans he climbed out of the car and walked the rest of the way to the cafe, taking a seat in the usual spot when he met the brunet there.

"Cloud! You made it." He sounded too enthused about it as he sat down, his eyes narrowing automatically at the bruise on his cheek. "And you didn't come back unscathed. What happened?" Leon asked, lifting his gaze to meet Cloud's. "It's getting dangerous, Cloud. I want you to back..."

"No! God, Leon, have a little more faith in me. I fell outta bed and hit my cheek on something on the floor." _What happened to getting into a fight with some random asshole?_ His mind asked him as he looked away from Leon long enough to glance at the little menu in front of him. Leon just stared at him in disbelief, a frown still on his lips. "I'm fine. I still have it under control, okay?"

"Yeah...I guess... Did you know that he has kids of his own?" Leon asked, finally lowering his gaze to the menu as well.

"Yeah. They live with their mother in to..." He looked up, making a face. "What are you getting at?"

"Actually, nothing. What were you saying, Cloud?" Leon asked, lifting his gaze as well.

"They live with their mother here, in town. They barely get to see him. They split up, and Zack hardly gets to see them. Even so, the kids seem close to him." He said, looking back down, not wanting to look the man in the eyes. For some reason, he felt like jumping over the table and punching him in the face. There was a moment of dead silence, and Leon's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You're getting attached... I want you off this case, Cloud, and I'll make sure it happens if you don't do it willingly." He warned, his eyes widening a touch when Cloud looked up with a cold glare.

"I did not get this close to him, just to have _you_ try and get me pulled out of the case. If I'm pulled out, he'll find out what was going on, and come after me. I don't have a choice but to see this to the end, and that's what I intend to do. If you have a problem with it, then go fuck yourself." And for a moment, there was silence again, and Leon sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"You've been around that monster too long. You're starting to act like..." Leon didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. Cloud had gotten up and jumped across the table, his fist meeting Leon's face with a 'crack', knocking the man out of the chair, and Cloud landed on top of him, raising his fist to make another hit. Several other customers had jumped up with either a scream or a gasp, and moved out of the way. Leon's eyes widened a bit, and he lifted his arms, reaching for Cloud's wrist before he could make the swing. "Cloud, stop it!" He tried, flinching when the blond's wrist nearly slipped free from the force Cloud put behind his swing.

"Why don't you start having a little more fucking faith in me, huh?" Cloud growled, his eyes narrowed dangerously. And Leon noticed something in those blue eyes that had never been there before. It was irritating. "Try putting yourself in his shoes for a day!" The second those words left his lips, Leon growled and shoved him off, pinning him down. He was surprised security hadn't came outside yet.

"I knew you were attached! What about your wife, and the baby she's pregnant with, huh? Are you seriously going to leave this life for that one? And how the hell can you defend someone that murdered the closest thing we had to a father?"

"We had more than he did!" Cloud snapped back, glaring up at him, his own heart racing. Why was he defending Zack? The man needed to be put behind bars, for crying out loud, and he was the one that wanted to do it. "He lost both of his parents, was left to fend for himself at a young age, and after that didn't have the right guidance! He's a hollow shell, dammit! You don't have to see that broken look in his eyes everyday!"

Silence. Leon couldn't believe what he was hearing. Cloud was really defending the man they had sought out to get off the streets. The man was a murderer, there was no excuse for it. Jerking Cloud up by the front of his shirt, he brought him up so they were nose-to-nose. "Go tell that to your pregnant wife. See how she reacts to it. Then come see me and we'll talk to the chief about having your badge stripped from you." He said, shoving him back and getting up, walking away from a stunned and very confused Cloud.

What the hell had just happened?

Yuffie put her hand on her expanding belly with a frown adorning her features. It was nearing the eighth month of her pregnancy, It amazed her doctors that, with all the stress in her life, she still managed to endure a healthy pregnancy. Since her husband had been absent for so long, Yuffie had to go through a majority of the pregnancy alone. Hell, he was only there for her in the first trimester then he stopped calling, emailing, and visiting. She knew that if something serious happened to Cloud, then the police station or a hospital would have let her know.

She wasn't stupid.

The thought of him cheating crossed her mind. As a matter of fact, the thought wasn't too far off, why else would he go so long without so much as dropping a line every now and then? A couple of her friends brought up the subject, out of concern for her well-being. Yuffie would constantly tell them that she was sure that he was just too busy and going undercover required a lot of time. She could understand his job keeping him busy, but a few seconds to let her know how he was doing, wouldn't kill him. The thought of him cheating on her made her want to trash everything in the living room, grab her stuff, and leave the house so then Cloud would know what it's like to feel truly alone. She hated defending his actions to her friends when really, there's no excuse for not checking in with your wife to let her know that you are still alive.

She heard two firm knocks on the front door. Her eyes blinked a little with surprise: was someone really knocking on her door at one in the morning? All she was doing was sitting on the couch, watching a black television screen, not really paying attention to anything around her. Letting out a soft sigh, she slowly stood on her feet, scowling at her sore ankles that result from carrying a baby. She loved that she was pregnant, she just wished that it didn't come with so many back pains, sore ankles, and nausea. Sometimes the nausea would disappear and turn into ravenous cravings for some weird combination of foods. Like strawberries dipped in peanut butter and chocolate...

Damn that sounded so good right now...

"Who is it?" She called out when she reached the front door.

"It's Squall Leonhart. I need to talk to you about Cloud."

**~Panda~Evelyn~**


	14. Faced With Reality

**Faced With Reality**

She was surprised at the voice that came from the other side of the door. Leon? The last time she saw Cloud's partner, it was the last time she saw Cloud. A part of her felt disappointment that it wasn't Cloud that showed up unexpectedly. But she should have learned by now, to not get her hopes up when it came to the blond. Releasing a sigh, she opened the door and forced a smile on her face.

"Well, you are the last person I expected to see. What brings you here so late?" She asked, not bothering to hide the annoyed tone in her voice. "If you're looking for Cloud, he's not here. I haven't seen him for four months." She had every right to be bitter.

"I'm sorry for the sudden visit... I'm actually here to talk to you about Cloud." Leon told her with an apologetic tone.

"What? Is he okay?" Yuffie asked with sudden worry.

"He's fine. He's fine. Physically, anyway." The last part sounded bitter coming out of his mouth. He noticed Yuffie's look of confusion and sighed a little bit. "I'll explain it... Can I come in?" Without a word, Yuffie nodded and stepped back to let him in. When he walked through the door, she shut the door and made sure that it was locked. "Cloud's in over his head with this case. And It's getting out of hand."

"What do you mean?"

"I think, spending time with Zack Fair, that he's beginning to get more emotionally involved. And I'm not just talking about his initial hatred for him. I think he's sleeping with him." Yuffie didn't say anything, so he felt the need to continue, but the look in her eyes made him a little hesitant. "I haven't caught them, but … It's a possibility. He's defending him and his behavior has changed for the worst. It's not like him to defend the man that killed our father. You know that, as well as I do."

"He's naïve. And an idiot." Yuffie said after a long pause. Running her slim fingers through her hair, she suspected something like this to happen. But that didn't mean that she didn't want it to happen. "Let him know that I'm filing for divorce papers. I'm not going to deal with his shit anymore. If he wants to be apart of our daughter's life, he can pay child support and visit her when she's born." She told him with a bitter tone. She didn't like to be dragged around like that, especially when she was pregnant with his child. She found it funny, when she remembered their past conversations, that Cloud was so against cheating yet he was cheating on her for a Mob Boss. A Killer.

"Are you sure? You aren't going to try and work it out?" 

"If he wants this to work, he's going to have to show me that he wants to be with me and our child. But, until then.. I'm done. I'm not going to let my kid grow up in a house built on lies and the worry of her dad cheating on her mother with a man. A man who just so happens to be a murderer. You're a cop. You should know that any connections with the Mob is like walking around with a target on your head." She looked at Leon for a response, when he nodded, she growled out of frustration. "I just can't believe he would do this. Does he know the risk? What if Zack finds out about me and the baby?"

"Don't worry. You and your baby will be safe. We can get a couple people to watch out for you." He offered with a frown on his lips.

"I shouldn't have to worry about people looking after us. I'm sorry, but living in a bullet-proof house doesn't appeal to me. I'm not going to have my daughter deal with bodyguards walking her to school. Or have someone stand outside the playground, watching for stray bullets. No offense, but that's a little creepy. And I don't want to have that in my life. Cloud obviously has a love interest, if he wants that life: he can do whatever he wants. But I don't want that life.. So if I have to choose between my marriage with Cloud over my daughter's safety, I'm going to choose my daughter's safety. Cloud had a choice, and it sounds to me like he already made his choice."

Leon nodded his head as he looked Yuffie in the eyes. It was true that Cloud had a choice, but he didn't choose the right one. He forgot that he had a family waiting for him, at least it appeared that way. Now, Leon wanted to throw the first punch when he saw Cloud next. Which might be the day the other male gets his badge stripped. There might be more than just a punch thrown when that day comes. "That's understandable. Cloud's going to regret the choice he made. I just hope he realizes it before he gets himself deeper in the mess... If that's even possible." He said, genuine concern for his childhood friend carried in his voice. "I'm sorry for coming over this late. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I felt like you should know. You are his wife, after all."

"Yeah, well, thank you. I really appreciate you telling me this. I probably wouldn't have found out if you didn't." She said with a forced smile on her lips. "If you want, I can make us some coffee or..."

"No, it's fine. I have to get back to the office." Leon smiled a little, "Thank you though.. Have a good night." He said uneasily, knowing that it probably wouldn't be.

A bitter smile appeared on Yuffie's lips at the 'good night'.

"Yeah, we'll see about that. You too."

Alice sat on the large, oak desk with her legs crossed, her arms folded over her chest tilting her head. Her long, brown hair had been pulled back into a single pony-tail, and she currently wore a black skirt with little white spider web designs along the skirt part. On the part that sat around her waist was a silver skull and cross bone, and it had three straps hanging loosely, that should have been tied. She also had on a black shirt, with white skull and cross bones all over it, with her trademark, white boots.

Alyss was sitting in the desk chair, her hands folded in her lap. She wore a pure white tank top, and a white skirt that fell just above her knees in the front, and fell just barely above her ankles in the back, her snow-white hair had two thin braids on either side, but otherwise, hung loose.

And Oz? He sat on his bed, Indian style. He was dressed in a pair of green and black, plaid shorts that reached his knees, a white shirt, with a black and gold vest to top it off, with his favorite brown boots. His eyes were down-cast on his hands, which were once more resting on his ankles.

"And, that's what happened..." He whispered, looking up slowly to his sisters. Alyss stood and walked over to her brother, sitting next to him and pulling him into a light hug while Alice shifted on the desk.

"So, Dad whacked him one, huh?" the brunet asked with an amused look on her face. "He was no good for this family, anyway. I honestly hope he doesn't show back up."

"But, Alice! He looked heart broken." Oz protested.

"If he knew what I did, you can't imagine how much more pain he'd be in." She pointed out, slipping off the desk, flicking a wave to them. "I'm going to go lay down.." She said, glancing over her shoulder with a frown. "Oz, whatever happens, it's not your fault, okay? Dad loves you just as much as he ever did. Don't ever think otherwise, alright? Love you, see you in the morning." She said, turning and walking out of the room. Oz nodded weakly, and latched onto Alyss' waist, starting to cry once more.

Needless to say, he felt horrible for what had happened that day, and just couldn't sleep...

A bit of time passed, and Oz had managed to calm down. Sitting up, he glanced up to Alyss and offered a weak smile. "I'll be alright now. You should go get some sleep." He offered, and the white-haired girl nodded with worried eyes.

"Alright, if you're sure. You're more than welcome to join me in my room if you need to." She offered, slowly getting up, after placing a quick kiss on the blond's forehead, before heading out of the room. Oz waited until she was out before he climbed out of bed and stripped down to his boxers, and redressed into a pair of pajama pants; green plaid.

Grabbing his phone, he flopped down on the bed and dialed a number from heart. Closing his eyes, he put the phone to his ear and waited for an answer. "So help you, Break..."

"Well, Gil. Is there something you're not telling me?" Oz asked in an innocent voice, masking his previous bad mood. There was a short moment of silence on the other end, before a sigh escaped the male's lips.

"Oz...What're you doing up? It's late..." The raven haired male asked, his gold eyes flicking towards his clock. "Or...Early. However you view it..."

"Couldn't sleep. And Alyss just left my room, so..." Oz trailed, opening his eyes to stare at his ceiling. "I'm coming over, alright?"

"...You love getting yourself into situations, don't you?"

"Yep! Meet me at the park in thirty!" Oz chirped, before hanging up, not giving Gil a chance to protest.

Gil sat up, glaring at the clock. "It's too damn early." He muttered, climbing out of bed and throwing on a pair of pants, and a t-shirt, before grabbing his keys and heading out the door for his car.

**~Evelyn~Panda~**


	15. Realizations

**NOTE!** We happened to mix up some ages for Alice, Alyss and Oz. The girls referred to him as their younger brother in previous chapters, however, I, Panda, meant to make him older than them. Evelyn is going to go back and fix this, as I am too...Impatient with it. The ages are; Alice & Alyss – twelve-ish. Oz – fifteen. I am sorry for the mistake. Heh. My bad.

**Realizations**

Gilbert Nightray worked for the man that desperately wanted to take over Zack Fair's group. It was a well-known fact among all mob bosses that Zack Fair was pretty much on top. He had a strong group of people that would back him up, and were always on top of everything. No one knew why this was, though. Except maybe Gil, Zack's kids, and Cloud Strife. His story with Oz was a funny one, actually.

You see, it was Gil's job to kidnap Oz. Somehow, someone in that group had found out about the blond being Zack's kid, and they wanted a leverage over the man. So, Gil went to do his job. And he got Oz captive. Alas, he had regretted it. The blond had turned out to be an annoying, conniving boy that was a little too smart for his own good. And it drove Gil up a wall.

Oz kept talking about things that would make little to no sense, then look at Gil and get this eery smile on his face. And he would quote; "If Daddy doesn't gut you, I will."

And how this helped them become friends was a mystery. Though, Oz thought of them as more.

Gil found himself stopping by a drive-through to pick up something light for them to eat before he went to pick up Oz. He figured the blond would be hungry by the time they met up. The park was a good distance from Zack's house, so if that's where Oz was, he'd be running to get to the park in the allotted time he had given Gil. Though, Gil wouldn't have put it past him to already be halfway there.

Pulling into the parking lot, he noticed Oz sitting on the swing, looking a little worn out. So he had ran all the way there. Climbing out of the car, he left the door open and walked over to Oz with a slightly worried look hiding his annoyance of being forced out of bed this early in the morning. "Morning, Gilbert!" Oz chirped, looking up at the man.

"You're too energetic...C'mon." He offered his hand, and Oz smiled, taking the help and let Gil help him up. He stumbled a bit and a sheepish look crossed his features.

"My legs hurt..." He admitted, leaning against the older man as Gil wrapped his arm around his shoulders, to help escort him. Walking him to the passenger's side, he helped him in, before walking over to the driver's side and climbing in, glancing over when he heard Oz 'munching' on something. It was the hash-browns he had gotten. It was cute, Gil thought, but he never voiced those opinions in fear of having a cat thrown at him.

He still wondered how Oz conveniently had cats at his disposal.

Pushing the thought aside, he glanced over when Oz seemed to sink back into the chair with a blank expression. "I got Dad in trouble...And he's really mad. I didn't mean to, but..." He trailed, lowering his gaze a little more. Gil frowned.

"I'm sure he wont' be mad for much longer."

"You see, there's this guy that Dad's somewhat been seeing. Okay, not really, but he's kind of new to the group, and he really likes him. Dad took the fall for something I did, and the guy just kinda...I don't think he's coming back." Oz admitted, looking to Gil.

"If he doesn't come back, then Zack should realize that it was probably some kind of trap or..."

"Stop the car!" Oz exclaimed out of no where, pulling his phone from his pocket, Alice's words ringing in his ear.

**~Panda~**


	16. Visitor

**The Visitor**

Leon felt bad for Yuffie, it wasn't right that Cloud just abandoned her and his baby. He always thought Cloud was a better man than that. Not someone who would just drop everything for a life that he always despised for a man who made their lives more troublesome than necessary. He didn't even know who Cloud was anymore. Definitely not his friend of fifteen years... And definitely not the cop who put loyalty before anything else. He was a complete stranger.

If there was any hope to convince him to willingly drop the case, without threatening his badge, he would give Cloud that option. The problem with that was: Cloud didn't want to get off the case. 'He's too thick-headed to see things clearly for what they are. If Zack realizes who Cloud is, he's not going to have anything.' Leon thought to himself as he pulled into the driveway and parked his Mercedes Benz, pulling the keys out of ignition. A sigh slipped out of his lips, he closed his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose.

'Cloud... Why do you always get yourself in such predicaments?'

He opened his bluish grey irises, when he did, he noticed something unusual. His bedroom light was on. He could have sworn he turned all the lights off. Opening the car door, he slowly got out and approached the house with some caution. When he got to the door, he started to unlock it, he decided that he probably thought he turned his light off but didn't. It wouldn't have been the first time something like that has happened. Or maybe Cloud was home? But somehow, he doubted it... After that nasty fight they had, he didn't think the blond would show up any time soon.

Walking into the house, he kicked off his shoes before shutting the door and locking it back up. Putting his keys up on the hook, on the wall next to the door, he started to head towards his bedroom. When he got to his bedroom door, he opened it, only to reveal a girl. The girl was appeared to be holding the picture frame of him and Cloud as children, he noticed that she was staring at it with a deadpanned expression.

"What the hell are you doing in my house? Who are you?" Leon questioned with narrowed eyes.

"I'm Alice. Nice to meet you."

Her smile was evil.

–

Cloud was at in the lounge room of a hotel, it wasn't that great..But it could be better. His blue eyes focused on the windows, watching crowds of people walk down the sidewalk to get to their destination. New York City was always busy, even at night there was a bunch of people filling up the sidewalks. Not as bad as the daytime crowd, that's for sure. A face grabbed his attention, or rather a set of violet eyes did. His heart jumped when Zack Fair walked through the Hotel's entrance. Immediately, Cloud rose to his feet, his eyes not leaving Zack's.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you." Zack told him flatly, "Can we go outside and talk?" He asked when Cloud gave him a look. His amethyst eyes looked at the people around them before having them land on Cloud once more. "Please?" He tried.

Cloud sighed, lifting his hand and itched idly at the back of his head, he didn't know what to tell him. A part of him wanted to tell him no, because of his discovery, but the other part wanted to tell him 'yes'. That was because of his job and his curiosity about what he had to say. He was questioning the second part's sanity, considering the recent discovery. It shouldn't be so difficult to say no to someone who was capable of doing something like that.

"... Fine." Cloud agreed softly, walking past Zack without waiting for his reaction. He could hear Zack following him just as he reached and walked out the door. When he got outside, he folded his arms against his chest, he threw Zack an expecting look. In the back of his mind, the thought of this being a trap crossed his mind. His reaction might have blown his cover for him. Why did he have to be so god damn sensitive about that sort of thing? But then again, how else was a person supposed to react to a beaten down corpse in a closet? Definitely not lightly. Unless the person was used to the idea of death and torture. If anyone was use to that, then they should get themselves checked in a mental institution as soon as possible. When Zack gets locked up, his kids need to be dealt with care, considering the way they were probably raised.

They seemed to be so used to the violent life of the Mob. No kids should be used to that sort of life. He wouldn't allow that life for his kids..

Kids.. Yuffie... God, he was screwed. But She knew that he had to keep a low profile and that it required time. But he knew that it didn't excuse his feelings for Zack or the fact that he hadn't tried to contact her in a long time. What was worse? She was pregnant with his kid. In his defense, he didn't want to risk Zack finding out about Yuffie or his daughter. If the Mobster found out about them, that would place them in the line of fire. Mobsters would use them as leverage if they needed it, or if the Mob found out about his cover. If that were to happen, then everything would be at risk. He wouldn't be standing (or breathing) that's for sure.

"Follow me." Zack told Cloud, trusting him to follow, he started to walk towards an alley. "This way, we could have a little privacy." He explained.

When both of them were in the alleyway, silence fell over them. Cloud didn't know what to expect out of Zack, but he was ready for anything. The gun in his pocket was sitting there, ready to be pulled out if he needed it. Since he was a cop, he was licensed to carry a gun with him at all times. It wasn't suspicious when it came to a job like working for the mob, since everyone needed a gun for that sort of occupation. Cloud lifted his ocean blue gaze to meet Zack's eyes, he seemed hesitant to say what was on his mind, so he waited patiently for it.

"Look, what you saw back there... I want to explain what it was." Cloud was about to say something in response, but Zack lifted his hand and Cloud immediately shut his mouth. "I need to tell you this, because I don't want you to be afraid of me. I care about you a lot and I don't want to lose you because of a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding? I saw a woman's corpse in your closet!" Cloud snapped.

Zack flinched a little at the snap, but lifted his hand again to silence Cloud. "Please, just hear me out, okay?" When Cloud stopped and nodded in response, Zack let out a sigh and continued, "I took the blame for my son, Oz. He's the oldest one... She was going to leak information to the cops." Noticing a look on Cloud's face, "I didn't order him to do anything to her. He did it all on his own free will. I told him to leave it alone, but he went behind my back and did that. I don't want that life for my kids. This was a life that I had to take up, in order to survive, but they have their mother so they don't have to choose my life.."

"Then why don't you have them stay with their mother?" Cloud intercepted.

"Because I want my kids with me. I know my life is dangerous, but I'm their father. Their mother had them for a while, but passed them over to me because she has a family with another man. And it's too much for her to handle. The kids need their real father in their life, I don't want them growing up and thinking I don't care about them. I do, I'll do anything it takes to protect my kids. That's why I'm taking the blame for my son. He can't handle the consequences of murder, it would ruin his future. And his chances of not following the Mob life." He explained strongly while looking Cloud in the eyes. "Like I told you earlier: I don't want that life for my kids. They have bright futures ahead of them. All three of them. I don't want them to turn out like me."

Cloud nodded at his explanation, trying to make himself understand the man's logic. He was being so noble, but at the same time he seemed to be clueless. The blond grew up learning that influence is a key fact when it comes to raising kids. That sort of environment wasn't safe for the kids or their futures. That was a given. From what he's seen: his kids wanted to be just like him. And if Oz didn't pay for his actions, then he would never learn from right and wrong. If he did understand right from wrong, then he should learn that those actions have consequences. He can understand how Zack would want to keep his kids from that sort of thing, but he's taking the fall for something he didn't even do. That's injustice.

"Does Oz want to be like you?"

"He looks up to me, and has maybe said something like that. I told him what I told you. I don't want that life for him. He's too good of a kid to be tainted by this kind of job. I became this way because I wanted to avenge my parents and what happened to them. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be out of this life, and that's why I don't want it for them. I don't want them to have the same thoughts and regrets." He sighed while itching the back of his head. "But I love them too much to let them go. Kids should grow up with their father in their lives."

"I couldn't agree more." Cloud said with a light nod. He did his best to hide the bitterness that he wanted to express. The blond didn't grow up with his real father, but he had a father figure that treated him like he was his biological son. He cared for a lot of children that weren't his own and loved them all equally. Those kinds of people are hard to find and replace. And no one was ever able to take his place, not after what Zack did. Every time he thought about what Zack did, he wanted to pin him against the wall and beat him down until he couldn't move... But then there were those times where he just wanted to know what it would be like to kiss him. There were a lot of times where he wondered what his lips tasted and felt like against his.

He knew it was wrong to have those thoughts of Zack.. Especially since his goal was to put him behind bars. It went against everything he was trained to do, everything he believed in. Maybe the rush of danger was really addicting. That's one of the reasons he liked his job. It got him out more and the challenges were what made it less boring.

"I'm glad you agree. And I hope that you'll accept my apology. I didn't know that Oz kept that body in the closet... I don't want it to affect your opinion of me." Zack told him honestly and sincerely as he continued to stare into Cloud's eyes. Cloud could see that he was being sincere when he said this, and it made it even more difficult to say anything negative.

"I accept."

Zack groaned softly when his phone sounded in his pocket. Cloud flinched a little at the loud ring-tone, and took the chance to look away. The Mobster dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cellular phone. He blinked with surprise to see it was Alice. "Hold on, it's Alice." He told Cloud before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, daddy. You won't believe what I found out. You know that guy you work with? Cloud Strife? Well, I found out that he's best friends with a cop that goes by the name Squall Leonhart. And guess what? He's not just friends with him, but he's his partner. They are both undercover cops. He's a traitor."

**Ooo. Cliffy! =DDD I'm evil, yes? Oh well, I like to be that way. 3 Anyways! What do you guys think? :D Review, pretty please? Tan-Que~ **


	17. Deceiver of Fools

**Panda's Note;** _This_ is chapter seventeen. The one that some of you have read was chapter eighteen. Sorry for the confusion. Evelyn mixed up our chapters. Lol.

**Deceiver of Fools**

"Hey, daddy. You won't believe what I found out. You know that guy you work with? Cloud Strife? Well, I found out that he's best friends with a cop that goes by the name Squall Leonhart. And guess what? He's not just friends with him, but he's his partner. They are both undercover cops. He's a traitor."

Hearing this, Zack felt his heart nearly stop in his chest as he lifted a calm expression to Cloud. "Is that so... How do you know this?" He asked, keeping his eyes on Cloud, almost afraid to look away now.

"...I've seen him with the man around town before, so I did a little bit of research. I was worried about your safe...Shut up!" Alice growled, and Zack could hear muffled 'yelling' in the background.

"I'll deal with your...actions later. Thank you. And, get out of there, now." Without waiting on a response, he hung up, turning back to Cloud to see a gun pointed straight at him. So she wasn't lying. He instantly dropped his phone and brought his hands up slowly, shock and a faint look of sadness. "Cloud..." He started, trying to find the right words to give himself a chance to actually be able to defend himself without getting shot. "Listen to me, you really don't want to do..."

"_Shut up!_ I'm tired of listening to you!" He had to do this now, and quick, or he was definitely a dead man, and he knew it. "You are a sick man. You don't deserve to be standing there, free. Acting like you're God! You're not! You claim you want the best for your children, that you want them to have their father in their life, and all that bullshit, but did you ever stop to think that maybe some of the people you were killing had families too? Some of them even had children that needed them. Did you ever think about that?" He snapped.

He was definitely at war with himself in that one moment. And he could tell that his words stuck a chord with Zack. Silence fell over them for what seemed like eternity. And as if they had been enemies for their entire lives, Zack's eyes narrowed with the hatred he held for cops, and all that opposed him. "Is that really how you feel?" Zack asked, letting his hands drop to his sides, holding his ground when Cloud flinched, ready, slowly pulling back on the trigger. "If you put your gun away now, and turn around and walk away, we'll forget this ever happened. And I'll leave you, your friends, and family alone. I'm a man of my word, you know this, Cloud, from the time you've spent with me."

"I said shut up!" Cloud snapped, firing off a warning shot past his head. Zack's eyes widened, showing a bit of fear, before they narrowed.

"So that's how you want it, then..." He muttered. Their eyes stayed locked on each other, and Cloud nearly missed the slight movement of Zack reaching for his gun.

It felt like time had just froze in those few split seconds as two gun-shots sounded through the alleyway, and down the street. Blood splattered on the ground, the silence deafening.

A pained noise escaped Zack's throat as he doubled over, dropping his gun in favor of covering the bullet hole in his chest. Cloud forced himself on impulse to just get it all over with, and walked up to him, gun still raised as a caution. Zack slowly lifted his gaze, barely able to move as he tried to take a couple of cautious steps back. The pain from the wound was nothing compared to the pain he felt from being betrayed like this. In his mind, he was scolding himself. He knew his desire to get close to the people that followed him would eventually get him killed.

He just didn't expect to have his heart broken in the process.

For a short moment, it almost looked as if Cloud was going to leave it at that, but his eyes widened when he saw the gun being raised, an inaudible plea escaping his lips just seconds before the world around him went black.

Cloud watched as Zack fell to the ground, silent. Unmoving, except for the light rise and fall of his shoulders from the attempt at trying to breathe normally. Swallowing hard, he inched closer and pushed the man's body onto his back with his foot, pulling his phone from his pocket, ignoring the people that were gathering around. Instead of calling for backup, he called for an ambulance, then made a run for it, dropping his badge in the process without knowing it.

It would the last time anyone saw Cloud for a while...

**~Panda~**

Sorry for the short chapter, but for this chapter to keep it's effect of sadness, without over-doing it, I must end it here. Feedback is awesome, and a huge thanks to Evelyn's friend for helping a little with the gun-shot scene. Morbid lil thing, she is. ^.-


	18. Comatose

**Comatose**

Aerith sat in the waiting room with her three children. Alyss was balling her eyes out on her twin, who was doing her best to hide hers, though was failing miserably. And Oz was just sitting there, staring at the wall with a blank expression. He wanted revenge, and at the same time, wanted to break down, like his younger sisters. Even Aerith was crying a little, much to her current husband's dismay. The man wasn't fond of Zack either, and he had his suspicions, which were proven to be true that day.

Aerith and Zack may not have had the best of marriages, but the two still held some kind of love for each other. They had kids together, after all. She hated his life-style, and everything about it, but when it came down to it, Zack had been the best father to the kids than anyone possibly could have imagined; He disciplined as needed, rewarded when it was worth it, and always, reminded them that his life was not the way they wanted to go. That even he regretted it sometimes.

He loved the kids like any real father should, which was a surprise to some.

A doctor walked into the room, and Oz was the first to stand, but Aerith was the only one called into the hall. Oz glared through the glass, and watched the man's lips, reading them. He wished he hadn't. "Dad!" He yelled, running out of the waiting room, shoving the doors open, and bolting down the hall. Alice and Alyss were up and on his heels. If Oz was upset, it couldn't have been good, and they wanted to see their father.

Pushing into the room his father was in, Oz hurried to his side and just stared at him. Alice and Alyss both nearly dropped to their knees at the sight. He was hooked up to multiple machines, his heart beat a slow, steady rhythm of beeps. "Daddy, wake up." Alice pleaded as she walked up to the bed slowly, reaching out to rest her hand on top of his. Alyss was on his knees, arms wrapped tightly around herself, a heart-breaking scream escaping her throat. For a small girl, she had good lungs. Shaking, Oz turned away from their father, and walked over, kneeling in front of Alyss and pulling her close.

Cloud had better hope Oz didn't get a hold of him. He would look a lot worse than the made the younger blond had mutilated.

Aerith and the doctor were only a few seconds behind the scream. The doctor nodded when the brown haired woman gave him a look, and he stepped out. "Oz, Alyss, Alice, listen to me for a minute."

"No! You're not pulling it." Oz growled, holding Alyss closer. "He doesn't deserve it. Give him a chance to fight." The girls seemed a little lost for a second, before it dawned on them, and Alice glared at her mother next, Alyss still crying her eyes out on her brother's chest.

"Please give him a chance to fight. He means the world to us." Alice cut in. Her usually harsh tone cracked with the pain she felt in her chest. Aerith wanted to explain to them that it wouldn't be fair to keep him in such a state, but she knew it would be a losing battle. All three had Zack's stubborn side. There was just no winning. You had to walk away for the 'fight' to end.

"Think about Alice and Alyss. I already know what I'm going to do, but think about them. They deserve that kind of hope, don't they? And you said that everyone deserves a chance to fight for their lives, didn't you?" Oz questioned her, and she frowned, giving him a questioning look. He hated to think about it, but even he was scared that Zack wouldn't wake up. He was going to hide himself away, with Gil. He hated to abandon his sisters like that, but he wouldn't be able to cope. He hated his mother's current husband, and knew things wouldn't end well if he was forced to go back.

A sigh passed her thin lips and she lowered her head. Oz hardly ever seriously sounded heart-broken. And there he was, forcing back his own tears, trying to be strong in front of his sisters while Alice and Alyss were openly shedding tears. "Alright. We'll give it six months, and then we agree it's his time." Oz nodded in agreement, but he was going to refuse to let them pull the plug. He'd beg for more time. There just was no way his father could die.

Zack was, after all, the top mob boss ever known to man.

After he had left Zack in the alleyway, Cloud made his way to the small apartment he was living in for his undercover work, and grabbed anything and everything that related to his life, checking every inch of the small place. Shoving everything in suit cases and bags that were at his disposal, and wiped everything down. He couldn't get that look out of his head. Zack genuinely looked hurt emotionally. Had he really meant that much to him? He recalled one of the maids telling him something of the sort, but just pushed it to the back of his mind as something of a joke.

Grabbing his car keys, he grabbed his luggage and hurried to the car, throwing everything in the back seat. Jumping behind the wheel, he started the engine and sped down the street, making a phone call to an old friend. And he got the answering machine; Leon was at work.

_Leon, listen. I know what I did was wrong, defending him was horrible, and what I'm about to do is just as bad, but I can't stay. I blew my cover, and he's in the hospital. I don't know if he'll wake up or not, but chances are, his followers, nor his kids, are going to like what happened, and are going to want to have my head on a silver platter. When I feel safe, I'll contact one of you again, in the mean time, tell Yuffie I'm sorry that I can't help her file those divorce papers. Guess we're stuck being married for a while. Please, PLEASE, be careful. His daughter, Alice, is smarter than one would think. It doesn't help that the kids are fucking creepy. I think they're capable of everything Zack was, so watch your back._

_Guess I'll see ya around, old buddy. Take care..._

He hung up after leaving the message and sped up, making his way to the airport, buying a last minute ticket to London. He had no idea he was being followed, and by the wrong kind of person no less. When they made the last calls for boarding, Cloud hurried. He couldn't get out of the country fast enough. He was paranoid. And for very, very good reason. After all, a family like Zack's was not one you wanted to take the 'father' away from...

**~Panda~**

Ohhhhhhh~ Stalk. Stalk. Stalk. Who could it be? And what will happen to poor little cloudy, Cloud? Hm? Feed back? Reviews? Love? It's all welcomed, ya know. -hearts- Hm...I kinda wanna write the next chapter. Wonder if Evelyn will let me. xD


	19. Field of Innocence

**Field of Innocence**

Three and a half months had passed, and a few things had happened in that time. Oz sat on a dumpster beside Gil, the older man's hat sitting on top of his head as Gil took another drag from his cigarette, glancing to Oz, who had an unlit one sitting between his lips, an innocent look playing on the freshly-turned sixteen-year-old's features. Oz, however, was far from innocent, and in the past few months, had been taking out his anger on different missions. He spared nearly no one, unless Gil almost literally had to drag him off the target and tie him down.

When Oz wasn't staying with Gil, which was honestly a rare thing, he was staying in the Fair mansion, making everything was in order, the place was spotless, and had no evidence of any kind of violence. And when he was feeling extra frustrated one day, he would literally make Gil fight him. However, it always turned out with Gil having several bruises from not fighting back.

It only fueled Oz more.

Both visited Zack frequently, with no luck of him waking up. Oz was starting to get nervous, and Gil could sense it. Oz wasn't the one holding the chord to Zack's life, and Gil could tell it was driving him nuts. Oz knew that his mother was going to keep her end of the deal, and she would definitely refuse extra time. She had made it clear to Oz that it wasn't fair to make Zack fight any longer than six months.

That conversation had ended up with Oz putting a hole in the wall and storming out before he took his anger out on the brunette woman. Needless to say, she had been startled, and was getting worried about her son. Alice and Alyss had become quiet, and only spoke when Oz was around. They refused to make contact with anyone but their older brother, and only came out of their room to eat, bathe, or use the bathroom. Or go to school, of course. Otherwise, they would hole up in their room until Oz showed up next.

With a heavy sigh, Gil broke the silence, causing Oz to look over, the flames from a lighter dancing dangerously close to the unlit cigarette. "I said you could have it for something to occupy your mind, so long as you didn't light it." Gil said, catching this and walking over, snatching the lighter from the boy, who made a face in the process. He was getting restless, and wondered what a cigarette would do for him, if it would help him like it did Gil.

However, Gil had other plans, and refused to let him even try one. Ignoring the look, Gil turned around and pocketed the lighter, gasping when he felt arms wrap around him before the weight of anothers body hit his back. "Gimme!" Oz's voice came in a whine as Gil barely caught his balance, looking back to him with a bored expression.

"No. It's a nasty habit that you don't need to pick up. You already have enough of the...Ah! Stop biting me!" Gil tried, dropping his cigarette in the process, and Oz let go with a devious grin.

"Then entertain me. I'm feeling very restless, my dear servant."

Zack would definitely have put Gil six feet under if he knew the things Oz talked Gil into doing with him. The blond just had a way of toying with someone's mind until he got his way. In a way, it scared the older male. But then, he also found it attractive. It wasn't helping that Oz was being a little too affectionate at the moment. He was trying to get his way again.

"Oz..." Gil muttered, shifting Oz so his legs were around his sides, hoisting him up a little on his back. The blond squeaked and wrapped his arms tightly around Gil's shoulders. He wasn't use to that. "You are definitely a demon child." He joked lightly, and the blond smiled weakly, resting his head on the older man's shoulder. Over the past few months, the constant shifts of moods was normal for Oz, and that had it's bad moments, even for Gil, who suffered the blunt of the blond's rage when he was in a random bad mood. When Oz got in those random depressed moods, though, it was best to just lay down with him, and let the silence just take over the moment.

Though, Gil definitely preferred the happy Oz compared to the violent, pissed off, or depressed Oz. Those were a little hard to handle at time, given that Gil wasn't sure how to react to some of them. One wrong move, and you were on Oz's bad list for a good two to three weeks. "Can we go see him today?" He asked in a soft voice, letting his eyes slide closed. He felt Gil nod lightly, and let the motions of him walking relax his thoughts and body. And for a moment, he mused over the idea of Zack waking up to an enemy sitting in the room with his son.

The thought brought a small giggle out of the blond. "Ah, Gilbert and Father. I wonder how he's going to react when he wakes up, and I tell him all that's going on." He stated. Not only had he been working along side Gil, he was, on the side, helping things run smoothly with his father's gang of people. It was working out smoothly for him. He just really had to make sure he was watching his back. Or wasn't alone. He had learned the first couple of nights after Zack's coma that staying in that big place alone, in that overly-sized room was a little too creepy for his tastes.

And that was coming from the morbid demon spawn of Zack Fair.

He had zoned out so much, he didn't feel the motions of being placed in the car, or the car moving, or even being carried into the hospital, to Zack room. Or the motion of being sat down in the chair next to the bed. The constant beeps in the background finally snapped him out of his thoughts, ready to just shoot whatever it was that was interfering with his thoughts. Blinking, he felt his heart drop immediately at the sight in front of him.

There he was, Zack Fair, still comatose. There had been slight improvements, but nothing that helped him wake up. "Hey, old man." He started, as if Zack was awake, a mischievous smile dancing on his lips at the thought of Zack's reaction. "You remember sea-weed head, right? Alice's arch-nemesis. He's worried about you too, you know. We all just want you to come home, okay? We're waiting on you, but we're running out of time. That woman doesn't understand what you mean to us. Did you know that Alyss is getting a little better? Well, she got worse at first, and Mom took her to the hospital. They gave her medicine, so Alice has been taking care of her, making sure she takes it, and she seems to be getting better. Alice has brought her grades up in school, and she's doing better with her academics too. And me? Well, I'm the same as I ever was. Just sitting around, missing you. If you don't wake up, Dad, then I'll have no choice but to take over for you. I will not let anyone get their hands on what you worked so hard to develop. An actual family you could always turn to for comfort if you ever needed it." Oz smiled and tilted his head a little as he spoke so fondly to Zack.

It was almost as if the man was really awake. It even broke Gil's heart to see this. Before he had met Oz, he was hellbent on killing Zack, along with everyone else. However, the moment he met Oz, he had become more interested in getting to know the man than anything else. Oz had made all those threats of what Zack would do when he got his hands on him when he, Gil, had kidnapped him. And then, from there, he started going on and on about how he was just misunderstood, and that he was a target for no real reason. How much of a good man Zack really was, and his morals behind everything. Gil had come to respect the man he was suppose to be enemies with. He knew it would get him in trouble down the road somehow, but anyone that went out of their way to protect what they held so dearly, rather than just kill for the money, or fame, or for the thrill of it deserved the most of respect.

Zack was that man. Oz told him all about how Zack treated his workers like family. How he would playfully bicker with them, and hang out with them as if they were blood related, or how he would treat some of the others to drinks, or dinner for no reason at all, or for birthdays. At first it had made Gil question the man's morals, but when he learned why all of this was done, he understood why Oz looked up to a murderer so much.

In Oz's eyes, Zack wasn't a murderer. He was a hero.

"And that's why." Gil came out of his thoughts when he heard Oz's voice crack. "That's why you have to come back. Don't you want to see Alice and Alyss grow up? Don't you want to be the father that's sitting on his porch with a shot gun when some guy decides he wants to date one of your baby girls?" Oz cried in the presence of his comatose father, that was something Gil had gotten use to, and dealt with accordingly, but what happened next he wasn't ready for. "Daddy! Wake up! Please, I can't take this anymore! No more waiting games, okay? I promise, I'll be a good boy! I'll stop following in your foot steps, I'll go back to school and bring up my grades. I'll graduate high school, and attend college! I promise, but I need you to just _wake up!_" Oz cried out, all but throwing himself on Zack's chest, hiding his face in his folded arms, breaking down completely.

Gil swallowed the lump in his throat. Slowly walking over, he placed a hand on Oz's shoulder, and he spun around, latching onto the man's waist, hiding his face in his chest. "Oz..."

"Make him wake up, please." Oz pleaded weakly, a silent scream escaping his lips as his grip around Gil tightened, his legs giving out on him.

A single tear slid down Gil's cheek. He decided then he definitely did _not_ like this side of Oz.

**~Panda~**

Gah! I nearly made myself cry towards the end of that chapter. Meh, poor Oz! -flailage!- Mew, Zacky, wake up! T.T


	20. Midnight Train to Hell

**Midnight Train to Hell**

Cloud found himself staring at his cellular phone, going through his contact list. He stopped at Zack's name and his eyes turned toward the window again to see nothing but the dark shapes of the trees flying by. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath through his nose and began to release it as a sigh.

"Change of seats.. Can I sit here?"

The blond looked up and suddenly lost his ability to speak when he saw that the voice belonged to Sephiroth. Why did he feel so nervous? It could be sheer coincidence. Unless Zack awoke from his coma, there's no way that he could have sent Sephiroth. His fingernails dug into the tip of of the arm-rest.

"It looks like there are plenty of empty seats... Perhaps in another section." Cloud muttered softly, his blue eyes bore into the sea-green ones.

"But I'd rather see you. Chat a little, you look like you could use the company." His voice said, but to Cloud it seemed just like a well-rehearsed joke. Sephiroth's feral reputation is well-known among many cops and mobsters alike. A lot of possible scenarios played in his head. Like, the fact that Sephiroth is thirsty for blood or revenge... Or both.

Before he could have a chance to respond to Sephiroth, the train rattled and the lights dimmed and flickered on and off. He could hear screams from the other carts, trying to get up, he only found himself trapped. He felt a body against his back and someone's arm had him in a vice grip.

"I'm going to make you wish that you were in that coma."

It was the voice of Sephiroth. He put a cloth drenched with chlorophyll on his mouth and nose.

Everything went black.

**Ev's A/N: **I know it's short, but I'm not feeling well and I wanted to give you guys an update. =] It's the least I could do~ Hope you enjoyed it!

**EDIT;**

**Panda**

Sorry, about chapter eighteen, and this chapter had to be tweaked just a tad. It was just the end of chapter eighteen, where he was at the air port. I changed it so it was at a train station instead. And the next chapter or two will follow the events in Cloud's life over the three and a half month time skip in chapter nineteen.

I hope this doesn't confuse you guys too much.

And Evelyn and I appreciate those who have stood by us this whole time.

And to those who have enjoyed the children. Lol.


	21. Torment Session

This chapter, chapter twenty two, and twenty three will follow Cloud's torment for what he had done to Zack.

Enjoy? ^^

(It starts off slow, because I'm writing it, but Evelyn will do better with the next two chapters.

**Month One**

**Week One**

**Day One**

Cloud awoke to a thumping noise above his head and tried to open his eyes. Shifting, he found that his wrists and ankles were bound to what felt like a bed, and from the feel of it, his eyes were covered by a blind fold. Or something of the sort. He wanted to scream, but better judgment told him to keep quiet. He was already on super thin ice, and he had no idea where he was. Or who was around.

The thumping paused, and Cloud shifted more. It sounded like foot steps, and it sounded like they were at the door to the room he was in. He heard a door open, and the foot steps descend down a flight of stairs. "Week one, Cloud, my friend." A familiar voice stated as the man neared the end of the steps. "Let's see how long you can last before you're begging for death." The voice continued as the man reached the side of the bed. Cloud heard a few very faint sounds, before the blindfold was pulled off his head, and blue met a cat-like-green once more.

"You won't get away with kidnapping an officer."

"Actually, I think I will. That was a heart-felt message you left Leon, ya know." Sephiroth stated, holding up a syringe, pushing at the end a little bit. Cloud's eyes widened a little bit, moving to the object. "Don't worry, Leon's fine. He's just resting in the hospital with a broken arm. Your wife and child are doing alright, though. You did good at keeping them from everyone." He paused and looked at Cloud, tilting his head. "What? Little Alice and I are best buds. She had her suspicions, as did the rest of us. Under Zack's orders, we stayed out of his personal affairs, but when his precious baby girl came to me, worried for her father's safety, I had no choice but to get involved. Zack's an easily fooled person when it comes to matters of the heart, but we've seen him go through enough to know. You didn't think you'd get away with it, did you? You're lucky it's me, and not his son."

Cloud swallowed hard at the memory of a maid in one of the secret chambers. Had that really been Zack who did it, or was it one of his kids? The questioning look in the blond's eyes made Sephiroth laugh, and he moved to inject Cloud with the liquid. "Wh-what is that?" He asked, trying to pull his arm away, his eyes locked on the syringe.

"Oh, not much. It's suppose to help you relax." He replied, draining the liquid into his veins, before pulling away. "Oz wouldn't even give you that much. The poor boy must be a nervous wreck right about now. You took away the only man in his life he really looked up to."

"Zack did the same to me!" Cloud snapped, closing his eyes. It felt like the room was starting to spin.

"Don't you know two wrongs don't make a right?" Sephiroth questioned with a harsh tone. "Look here, Strife; Zack meant a lot to everyone. More than you could ever understand. He was always looking out for everyone other than himself, and always endangered his own life to protect those he cared for." He growled, pushing down on Cloud's chest with his hand, restricting his breathing a bit. "So, it's pay back. You took Zack away from us, I'm going to take you away from those that care about you. But first, I'm going to have some fun."

Cloud let out strangled gasp when he felt Sephiroth's hand around his throat, struggling to get even a little bit of oxygen to his lungs. A strangled cry for help followed, his eyes screwing shut. Before he knew it, everything around him went black.

**Day Two**

Sephiroth sat upstairs, sipping on a cup of coffee, scrolling through his previous conversation with none-other than Oz, checking on the blond, and giving him the latest update on his end. Informing the young blond he was doing as instructed. He was praised by Oz, but something about it seemed off, even for him. Shrugging, he sent Oz a text, telling him he had to do a few things before Cloud woke back up, and shut his phone, turning to pick up a few important things for the rest of the week.

When he returned, Sephiroth put the groceries away, and cooked something before he headed down to check on Cloud. Cloud was awake, and moving around a little. Sephiroth guessed it was so he could stretch his limbs a little bit as he walked towards the bed. Cloud seemed to stiffen at the sound of his footsteps and turned his blindfolded eyes to the much taller male. "Sephiroth?"

"Bingo. How are you feeling today?" He asked, glancing down to the sheets, the only thing covering Cloud's form at the moment, shielding Sephiroth from a naked view of the blond.

"What do you care?" Cloud snapped, immediately wishing he hadn't.

"I would at least want my pets to feel in uppermost condition, before we let the games begin." His hand moved in liquid movement and grasped a handful of Clouds hair, pulling it to the point where he forced Cloud to yelp in pain. Anguishing pain. It sent intoxicating waves of ecstasy in his veins. Sephiroth had been well know for his ability to make someone feel like the lowliest being on earth, but at the same time he could make you feel the most wanted. And that is when the rug slips out from underneath you. Releasing his strands, he stroked his hair with false affection in each stroke as he set the tray in front of him.

"Do you need me to feed you?" He said, Cloud scowled since he could hear the ridicule dripping from his voice.

"I'd rather die." He growled out, his chest rose and fell in rapid movements due to his increasing breaths. Cloud flinched when Sephiroth's hand slid out of his hair and cupped his cheek. At that point, it felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest from fear.

"That could be arranged in the future. But for now, you should enjoy your time with me. I know I will." A wicked smile crept across his lips.

**Day Three**

Cloud awoke for the third time that week in the middle of the night. Glancing around, he found the blindfold was off, and his legs were free from their chains. But that was it. Slowly, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, groaning from the ache in his back, and his stiff joints. He could hear faint voices upstairs, and one was from Sephiroth. The other was a young boys. "I don't care! He's not with us right now, and I make all the shots." He wracked his brain to find who the voice belonged to. "Besides, I know what you want from Cloud. Take it, and dispose of him accordingly." Cloud swallowed hard and shifted, looking to his hands, wondering if it really worked, breaking the bones in his hands to allow him to escape.

"Understood, Oz." Sephiroth sighed. Upstairs, the man shook his head at the young blond. "I'll be taking Cloud out of the country soon enough. If it helps any." He offered, and Oz shrugged, turning blank eyes to the dark window. "You know Zack wouldn't want you acting like this." Oz slammed his hands on the kitchen table.

"If that was the case, then he'd be here!" He snapped, the tears evident in his eyes. "Dad means more to me than anything in the world. I swear, I will mutilate that man's grave if my father doesn't make it through this." He stood and started for the basement, only to be caught around the waist, looking back to meet Sephiroth's eyes.

"Oz, I want you to go home to your mother, for your sisters, and take a breather for a couple of days. For your father's sake? You know as well as I do that he would kill me for letting you get involved like this. And I enjoy my head where it is." Oz laughed a little at that and shrugged away from the taller male.

"Fine, whatever. I'm going home, then." He said, grabbing his jacket, glancing to Sephiroth. "...I kinda need a ride."

"Let me check on Cloud." Oz nodded and watched Sephiroth head into the basement, taking a seat on the couch.

Down in the basement, Cloud turned his gaze to the stairs when he heard the footsteps, and pushed his back to the wall as Sephiroth came into view. "Mm, so you are awake. I have to take Oz home, so I trust you'll behave until I get back. If you do, I'll feed you something good. Otherwise...Use your imagination." He warned, and Cloud swallowed, nodding lightly. He was still sore from the night before. Watching Sephiroth walk from the basement, he waited until he heard the car pull out of the drive before a strangled cry escaped his lips from fear.

_What am I going to do? What the **hell** am I going to do?_ Cloud thought, hiding his face in his knees. He was so in for it, and he knew it.

**Panda**

Well, this turned out decent.  
I'm not gonna drag it on too long, but I wanted to drag out Cloud's 'slave' days for about three chapters.

Not every day, obviously, that would take too much planning for me.

Next chapter will start on Month 2, week 2, day three.

The chapter after that will start on Month Three, Week 3,

and will follow days five and six.

Please do enjoy the torment?

I'm gonna make Evelyn write the next couple of chapters, so I can go ahead and start on chapter twenty four.


End file.
